Dimensional Rift
by Someone Else Took My Name
Summary: By the end of a war that left everyone dead, Ichigo's power had ascended to God-like levels. But power is useless without someone to protect with it, so he and his mentor formed a desperate plan: Rip a hole in causality and go back in time to a Karakura that wasn't radioactive rubble. The plan worked, and he reversed time by a few years- but in the wrong dimension.
1. Prologue, Ichigo: Broken

**A/N**

**I have a tendency to keep my author's notes long, so I'll try to keep this brief:**

**This first chapter is a bit... Angsty. I don't like angsty characters, so this should be a rare exception. Also, I've watched the first fourty-eight episodes of Fairy Tail, but the rest isn't available on Netflix. Most of my info is pulled from the wiki, but I may occasionally miss minor details. But this is an AU, so I shouldn't have to worry too much.**

**And by AU, I mean it. Next to zero canon plot in this.**

**That is all.**

**General Warnings: Action-oriented, Possible Character Death, Cursing, Possible Canon Discrepancies, AU**

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><p>The Seireitei, or at least, what remained of it, was there, front and center, a perfect view. At least, it would have been perfect had it not been a charred mess of ash and stone. Any flames that once clung to the destroyed buildings had long since been washed out by a torrential, massive downpour that had drowned out most of the dead long before the Shinigami could bury them. Still, the ash was an ever-present cloud that usually choked the weaker infantry to death, and weakened all the rest.<p>

Of course, this great place hadn't always been like this. Not long ago, maybe a four-or-five months by Human-World standards, the Seireitei had been vibrant and beautiful. The Seki-Seki walls stood proud and true, and the Shinigami inside of them walked and fought with purpose.

All that crumbled into dust when the Quincies had arrived. Unlike Aizen, who had killed close to no one in his attack, the Sternritter armada hit like a truck. The initial invasion had taken the lives of many, ranging from lowly unseated Shinigami, all the way to the officers and Captains. By the end of that first strike, five dozen Shinigami had been buried.

That had been the first attack. The second and third had seen the deaths of both Love and Rose, who had at that point re-enlisted with the Shinigami. It was irony itself that almost every Vizard who re-enlisted would see themselves die because of it. By the fourth attack, the Sternritters had suffered four casualties;

Royd Loyd, the odd shape-shifting man with an identical brother by name of Loyd Loyd, had been executed shortly after his capture. Candice Catnipp, a scandalously dressed woman with a shock of bright yellow hair, had lost an arm and subsequently bled to death.

BG9 had been an androgynous, robot-looking being that had suffered far too much damage by the end of the fourth invasion. In an explosion of viscera and shrapnel, the creature had detonated the blood in it's body with a single burst of hot reiatsu.

Finally, the last-remembered casualty had been Bambietta Basterbine, who's sadistic streak had caught up with her viciously and brutally; her latest torture victim had risen from the depths of oblivion to stab her in the back of the neck. It was a death that was both too quick and too painless for the likes of her.

While the four deaths had been little compared to the casualties suffered by the Shinigami, it was more than enough to make the Quincies lose patience. So, they had created a weapon. A massive, extremely powerful Reishi Cannon that had leveled most of the Seireitei with just a few well-timed blasts. The Shinigami had been devastated by the loss, retreating underground into a hidden shelter for well over a month before they left.

The only ones who had escaped the blast alive had been Ichigo, Rukia, Kisuke, Chad, and Byakuya. Inside the shelter, a depressing, grim sight awaiting them:

The only other survivors had been Shunsui and Juushiro.

Rukia had broken down into tears at that point, finding that almost everyone she ever knew and loved were dead. Byakuya had remained strong and stoic, as usual, but it was evident that the loss had weighed on his shoulders as much as everyone else's. Kisuke, however, had immediately set about the shelter, preparing it for the long haul.

Then, they waited, they rested, and they recovered.

During the time they spent underground, cleaning their wounds and their clothes, the Quincies had scoured the surface. Fully geared in air-tight suits and gas masks, they had braved the ash cloud and searched relentlessly for any survivors. The very first day, they had pulled Renji and Izuru from a pile of rubble, both of whom had been ash-gray, unconscious, and emaciated.

The two were shot, swiftly and without so much as a single word.

The next day, it was Nemu. The third day, it was Yoruichi. After that, no more people popped up. At least, no living figures; many, many dead people showed up all across the board, either choked to death by the ash cloud or completely parched or starved. Death had run rampant.

Surprisingly enough, the ace-in-the-hole had been Aizen. When the Quincies broke into the Muken, looking and searching in the dark, Aizen had mistaken them for Shinigami executioners. When his restraints were released, the very first thing the former Shinigami did was pull off the strongest bit of Kido he had. Aizen had then moved on to rampage across the Quincy-occupied Seireitei, murdering them long after he realized that they weren't his enemies. The moment he died, was the moment that the huddled group in the underground shelter made their move.

Aizen had eliminated almost everyone of importance. Uryu was still out there somewhere, and so was Juha Bach, but they were the last two threats to contend with. Everyone else had been killed by either Aizen, or their own meticulous, merciless advance. Of course, it was a Pyrrhic victory; By the end of their endless battle, it had been Ichigo, Kisuke, and Byakuya who had survived. No one else.

"I'm sorry I couldn't keep my promise, Chad." Ichigo had cried while he said it, his mouth choked and watery. The entire time, he had never relinquished his grasp on the golden coin that Chad had cherished so much.

Several miles away, on the ruined husk of the Kuchiki estate, Byakuya had sat in front of a half-burnt picture of Hisana.

"No amount of words will ever ease my failure, Hisana. I have buried Rukia beside you, and I have arranged for the same to be done for me." Byakuya had then stepped away from the ruined estate, and ventured across the devastated land that the Seireitei had become.

He had stood over three graves; two of them filled, one of them open. Then, just as his resolve solidified, he committed seppaku, spraying his organs and his blood into the rich, ashy grave he had dug for himself. Byakuya fell forward, and laid there, dead to the world.

The ash cloud buried his zanpakuto- his only physical remains- after five short days.

Now, it was only Ichigo and Kisuke left, the last two survivors and the only remnants of a world that was both dying and collapsing, all at the same time. The former stood alone, surrounded by ash and detritus- the only things he saw these days, mostly. Even Kisuke seemed to have been turned a permanent gray by the constant exposure.

Ichigo walked aimlessly around the ruined scenery, reflecting on days past. The fiasco with Aizen had seemed like a distant, pleasant dream now. Then, the danger of death always loomed, but at least it was always focused on _Ichigo_, and not the people that he valued. Everything that happened before, all of it, paled in comparison to the past half-year he had endured.

Not even his relatively powerless friends and family had escaped the fracas; Yuzu and Karin had died at the hands of some weaker hollows. Without Shinigami to protect them, and with Goat-Face drafted to help in the war, they had been completely alone when a hollow had rampaged through their house and devoured them whole.

Tatsuki had gone down fighting, throwing wild kicks and punches at a monster that seemed to waver in and out of her vision regularly, like a mirage. Her frantic defense still let her get eaten, however. Keigo had shown some mettle at the end, going to far as to fire errant gunshots at the very same hollow who had got Tatsuki. Too bad for him, because bullets weren't all too effective against spirits.

Mizuiro had done the same, pulling out a service revolver from his _school uniform_ and letting loose a full cylinder. Odd, considering that guns were illegal in Japan, but the boy was full of mysteries. He had still died, of course, broken in half like a stick, then tossed aside uselessly. The entire school, really, had also died. A strange explosion had enveloped every last man woman and child in that place, killing them all at once.

The media assumed that it had been a terrorist attack.

Ichigo was pulled out of his reflections when he heard the sounds of open combat. The sounds of a blade clashing against a blade, of reiatsu explosions and screaming curses. Had Kisuke found Juha and Uryu? Could this tale of torture finally end? Without even knowing it, Ichigo quickened his pace and dashed forward, propelled by nothing more than sheer desire.

He reached the peak of a small hill, and looked down upon the scene.

Uryu, and Juha, fighting openly. Uryu's Quincy Cross seemed to have been destroyed, or perhaps disarmed from him, which explained why he was currently dual-wielding two Seele Schneider blades. The battle had begun scarcely a minute ago, yet it was very clear that Uryu's loss and death were imminent.

The teen had suffered several injuries, ranging from a deep gash across his thigh that had been hastily cauterized, to a bloodied socket where his left eye used to be, and all the way down to large, angry red reishi-burns that stretched across his entire body. The Quincy's spectacles had been entirely destroyed, and while his nearsightedness wasn't all that bad, it made his movements much sloppier than usual.

As if to punctuate this, Uryu dashed ahead and stabbed his right blade forward, lunging for Juha's ribs, only for his opponent to completely circumvent the attack and slam his arm to the ground with the blunt edge of his great-sword. It was entirely clear that he wouldn't win this. Without a bow, or his ginto, or any other weapon for that matter, he would be dead in an instant.

Ichigo was galvanized into action, his right hand holding Zangetsu's trench-knife, his left clutching the much larger sword he called Hollow. Juha Bach would die today.

The booming sound of his not-quite-shunpo stopped the battle momentarily, making both Uryu and Juha turn their heads. In that brief fraction of a moment it took for both sets of eyes to look ahead, Ichigo had already planted a reiryoku-infused fist into Juha's gut. He knocked the breath from the Quincy Emperor's lungs and launched him back, but the man recovered in mid-air.

Eyes gleaming with murderous intent, the two lunged forward. The open rage on Ichigo's face easily reflected the amount of power thrumming both through his body and his zanpakuto. Ichigo slammed Zangetsu against Juha's Reishi blade, clashing violently. An explosion of blue energy rocketed from the impact, enveloping the both of them in a whirling blue firestorm.

Ichigo slammed against his opponent, Hollow grinding against Juha's great-sword. He pushed forward and pulled back Zangetsu, granting himself a few precious bits of space. He pulled his larger blade back and lunged forward with his smaller one, easily catching the Quincy Emperor in the gut and opening a searing, painful wound. Hearing his agonized, if stifled cries gave Ichigo a terrifyingly sadistic grin.

It was strange that he took so much pleasure in the pain of others, one might have said. Ichigo, however, was no surprised in the least; seeing his comrades die, seeing his world literally explode around him, had broken him time and time again into a person that wasn't quite mentally stable.

The blue firestorm faded into particles, revealing a now-crouched Juha. The bearded man leaned on his knee, left hand clutching a massive wound that spurted seemingly endless amounts of blood. Ichigo turned around, his expression recomposed into a stoic, if grim look. He tightened the grasp on his blades, turning his knuckles white, and lunged forward with Hollow aimed forward and Zangetsu set into a reversed-grip.

Juha whirled back, his right wrist slit open, and poured as much Reishi through his opened veins as much as physically possible. With all the speed and penetration of a hyper-sonic bullet, the blood his arm spurted shot forward in a tiny, if incredibly sharp pillar. Ichigo's left lung was shot and pierced, sending a spray of blood from his battered mouth, but he didn't even falter in his step.

The blood-pillar flew into the distance. Ichigo didn't care.

The Shinigami lunged ahead and brought both his blades stabbing downward on Juha's head, bluish-black energy rippling along the sharp edges of his zanpakuto. Dual crescents of blue energy, small and thin, but incredibly potent, shot from the blade and into the earth. It was sheer luck alone that Juha had jumped back and away just in time.

With a roar of rage and frustration, the Shinigami lunged for his enemy with renewed strength, slashing blindly and viciously. Juha hardened his blood into a thick, incredibly tough shield, effectively stopping the rush of Ichigo's swords.

Except, the sheer brute force behind those two blades was more than enough to rip past that thick shield and into Juha's inner organs. As if he had been hit by a cannon blast, rather than two strokes of a sword, his entire back exploded out behind him, splattering blood and viscera onto the ashen earth.

Juha leaped to the side, already reconstituting his shattered innards as best as he could with his admittedly weak medicinal spells. He forged a Reishi great-sword, his hands trembling with combined agony and weakness. Yet, despite the mounting pain, his conviction, his killing intent, his _resolve_, all of it showed clearly in his eyes.

He ran ahead with a clumsy, if powerful stride, meeting Ichigo head on. He lunged ahead and stabbed almost blindly with his blade, opening a massive wound through Ichigo's exposed gut. The Shinigami gasped and stiffened as a wave of bright agony streaked across his vision, but he recovered his composure and struck with an assault of his own.

Zangetsu sheared through the smooth, metal surface of Juha's great-sword, and Hollow had already severed the Quincy Emperor's right arm by the time the enemy had been disarmed. Both parties let out a combined roar of primal pain and rage, and both charged ahead with bloodthirsty zeal. Juha was disarmed. Ichigo was not.

Ichigo slashed ahead with Hollow, slashing open the Emperor's neck, and then pulled the man forward. Hot blood spilled onto Ichigo's already devastated shihakusho, but the ordeal was almost over.

"This is for my Mom, you son-of-a-bitch." Ichigo relinquished his hold on the Emperor and forced as much energy into his right foot as possible.

With one deadly motion, the Emperor's head was splattered across the ground, his blood already sinking down into the thirsty, thirsty earth. Ichigo physically trembled, dropping both of his swords to the ground and slumping down against an ash-dune. This was it, this was the end. The war was over, but at what cost?

Everyone, everyone Ichigo ever knew and loved, was dead. All of Karakura town had been turned into a devastated wasteland, filled with toxic air that killed everyone who ever ventured through it. There was only a few secluded patches of land that weren't utterly destroyed in the Soul Society, and even less souls to occupy them. The entire Shinigami doctrine had perished, and that alone would leave all of the Human World destroyed.

Ichigo, too, had paid a terrible price. He was broken, his mind and his emotions, shattered against the terrible pain of loss. Even now, even as the guilt of murder ate away at him, he knew that he would eventually stop caring about the lives he ended. His broken mind could comprehend that much.

Ichigo glanced over at Uryu, who had lost an eye and a pint of blood in his fight, but had somehow survived this long. The Shinigami approached his friend, the one who had betrayed them all, and knelt beside his battered, unconscious body.

"Uryu, you stupid bastard. Don't die, not yet, not until I beat you for everyone you got killed." Despite the harsh words, Ichigo's tone lacked any kind of malice whatsoever. "As much as I hate to admit it, you're still my friend." His voice trailed off. Ichigo honestly didn't know where he was going with this. "Just... Even though you betrayed us, I know you were trying to do the right thing. Everyone else died, don't do the same."

Footsteps in the ash-dune. The sound of an unsheathing blade. Another Sternritter?

Ichigo whirled around, both his blades dipped low from fatigue. A mysterious, black-clad figure stood before him, hands reaching up to it's hood.

The figure pulled it's black hood down, revealing a grim-faced Kisuke.

"Is Ishida-san alive?" Kisuke's grave question was enough to disarm Ichigo's senses.

"Yeah, the bastard's too stubborn to die." Ichigo replied, unable to meet Kisuke's gaze.

Hat-and-Clogs didn't bring up the fact that he said the same thing about Chad, just a few minutes after his death was confirmed. Instead he reached into his cloak and pulled out an object. What emerged from the folds of his jacket was a small, shimmering stone.

"The Hogyoku." Ichigo's reply was both quick and venomous.

"Indeed. I found it in the ruins of the First Division."

Ichigo didn't question why he was looking for it, or even why it was there. He didn't care.

"Why do you have it?"

Kisuke loosened his grip on the stone, and put it in Ichigo's hand. He looked the boy- man- dead in the eye.

"To give you a second chance."

Ichigo didn't break the eye contact as Kisuke pulled back. "Explain."

Kisuke certainly didn't pull his punches. "You're at a God-like level of strength, Ichigo. But what is power without someone to protect with it? So, I'm giving you another shot at this. I'm going to trust that you can restore this time-line, and end all this."

Ichigo looked down at the swirling gem-like stone. "Go back in time, huh? Is that even possible?"

Kisuke shrugged. "I don't know. The Hogyoku is strong, but it might have limits. But the thing is, this dimension is doomed to die anyway, and if I went back I wouldn't change a thing. Even if I reversed the clock by a hundred years, I'd never be strong enough to stop the Vandenreich or Aizen on my own. Even a preemptive assassination could cause so many changes that I wouldn't understand it all. But you're different, Ichigo."

"You want me to rip a hole in time and space, to reverse all this?"

"Yes."

"You're insane." Ichigo let the stone fall into the ash. "Time travel is impossible."

Kisuke let a grin bloom across his face, bringing back just a tiny bit of old self back into the conversation.

"You don't know unless you try. But you better get started soon; with the Soul King dead, it won't be long before this world collapses on itself."

Ichigo set his expression into a grim line, and grabbed onto the stone. Go back in time, eh? It seemed like the premise for a bad movie.

Except, last he checked, this was reality, with all the harsh truths and painful moments it was fond of throwing at him. He infused the stone with a large amount of his own energy, relighting it's swirling interior. This was it, the moment of truth.

It was time to change things.

The Hogyoku exploded into a bright, shimmering purple vortex of light. Swirling colors and ripples of distortion spewed from that vortex, ripping apart the very fabric of causality. An explosion of wind and force shot from the gaping maw of the portal, blowing away the ash and dust that stained Ichigo's shihakusho.

Ichigo's eyes shined with determination and renewed life as he looked back at his mentor.

"Thank you, for everything. I'll always remember this, Kisuke."

"You've done enough for this universe, Ichigo. It's time the universe paid you back, consequences be damned."

Ichigo never smiled, but he instead snapped off a very crisp, very un-Ichigo salute. Kisuke smiled with such genuine regard, it was a wonder why his jaw didn't fall off.

Ichigo faded into the portal, and the wide vortex snapped shut as he walked through. Kisuke's smile faded as he saw his protege leave, never to be seen again. He would change things, that was for damn sure, although whether those changes would be good or bad remained to be seen. Right now, he just wished that he wouldn't have to go through all of it alone.

Kisuke heard an odd, crumbling noise to his right. He turned, and noticed that a vast spread of white, indescribably _blankness_ was swallowing the land whole, leaving nothing but a blank void behind it. So this was the end of the world, eh? Causality and reality was collapsing, the world was dying. Kisuke watched it end with Uryu lying on the ground beside him.

Ichigo would save this land, would save this particular timeline.

Kisuke was sure of it.

Agony, fiery, spreading, endless, _maddening_ agony was all Ichigo felt as he traversed through the portal. It began in his chest, but rapidly spread throughout his body, searing his innards, his veins, his flesh- hell, even his eyes seemed to be boiling from the inside out. His screams were as endless and violent as the thrashing vortex that surrounded him.

Incredible weakness, something Ichigo had been all too familiar with for the last few months of his past life, assaulted his body, cutting his endurance into tiny, shredded ribbons. Something within his chest exploded, spraying blood and bone forward in a wide arc. Ichigo hissed in agony as he bit down on the approaching wave of agony, barely able to ride it out.

_"Ichigo!"_ Zangetsu's deep, if panicked voice reached past the screaming din of Ichigo's mind.

"What the hell is going on?!"

_"This has happened before, when you used the Final Getsuga Tensho!"_

"I don't-" Ichigo's right hand erupted into a brilliant blue flame as whatever was inside him struggled to get out. He bit down on the agony and spoke through his teeth. "I don't understand!"

_"We're dyin', King!"_ Hollow's voice ripped past the wall of mind-numbing pain.

Ichigo didn't panic, instead he shot his left hand forward and reached ahead, trying to push his body forward. This was for no reason at all, other than for the sake of actually _doing_ something to keep him from panicking.

_"Your reiryoku is evaporating from inside your body, and it's tearing you apart! We're going to be forced out of your body with it!"_ Zangetsu shouted out.

"Like hell you will! I've lost enough people already!" Ichigo slammed his left hand into his open chest, fumbling blindly for his Soul-Sleep.

The Shinigami took hold of the spiritual object, whose appearance was as-of-yet unknown to him, and crushed it to a pulp. Bitter pain and piercing fire shot through Ichigo's veins, signaling his success. Ichigo ripped it out of his body entirely, destroying his reiryoku reserves forever, and threw it into the purple void.

His strength, his power was gone.

Zangetsu, however, was not.

The crushed Soul-Sleep, which looked like a oval-shaped, crystalline orb, exploded in a furious storm of blue and black. The impact crashed into Ichigo like a freight train, sending him flying through the purple vortex that had ensnared him. That explosion of power had been brutally powerful, shattering many of Ichigo's bones to dust from the kinetic force alone, but not all of it was bad; A huge, gaping hole had been ripped in time and space.

His portal was opened. Time for this road-trip to end.

_"I'm with you, Ichigo!"_ Zangetsu sounded both weaker and younger, but Ichigo heard him just the same.

_"Yeah, get moving, King!"_ Hollow's voice was also younger-sounding.

"Right!" Ichigo shot ahead through the thick vortex, moving as if he were swimming, and moved for the rapidly-closing portal.

The swirling storm of Ichigo's blown-out Soul-Sleep retracted inwardly, forming an extremely unstable swirling blue-black ball of energy.

The Shinigami reached the portal, the dimensional breach that would bring him back to his era, and grabbed hold of it's border. He shot his other hand forward and pulled himself through the portal, but his progress was slow-going and the breach was closing very rapidly.

He wouldn't make it.

_"Don't think like that, ya cowardly bastard!"_

As if to punctuate the Hollow's words, the retracted orb of blue-black energy exploded outward into a supernova of energy, spraying an extreme amount of energy and force in all directions. Ichigo felt that force crash into his back, throwing him through the portal and out into whatever world lied behind that dimensional breach.

The portal behind him snapped shut and Ichigo crashed to the ground, flailing as he fell. He slammed into the ground with a heavy thud, feeling a surprisingly slight amount of pain from the impact. The boy placed his left hand on his chest, but there was no hole from when he literally ripped his spiritual heart out.

In fact, his only real injury was the debilitating stab wound from his fight with Juha Bach.

"Zangetsu? You there?" Ichigo asked quietly, unable to muster the strength to project any louder.

_"I'm here, Ichigo, but something's wrong."_

Ichigo grabbed his wound with a pained groan.

"Tell me."

_"There's no reiryoku or reishi in the air. There's something else entirely, but I can't fully sense it. I think it's similar to reishi, but whatever it is, I can't even get a grasp on it. Whatever it is, I'm only barely surviving on it; if this substance ever ran too low, I wouldn't be able to absorb even the tiny bit of energy I'm taking in now. I'd die."_

_ "We're fucked, King."_ Hollow added.

Ichigo struggled to his feet, but collapsed a moment later. His strength could be described as extremely depleted at best, and absolutely and totally devastated at the worst. The gaping wound in his stomach did little to abate that. Well, that and the fact that he both looked and felt three years younger. A quick glance into a conveniently-placed puddle confirmed that he was indeed fifteen years old.

His face was just like the one he used to have, just a day before Rukia Kuchiki dropped into his life; his face wasn't worry-wrinkled or ashen anymore, his eyes still looked old and far-off, but they weren't dull as they once were. He looked just like he did before he became a Shinigami.

"What the hell is going on?"

He looked around where he was, and was immediately surprised by what he saw. He had landed in a forest-clearing, with dense vegetation and extremely tall trees all around. While this could have been the Karakura forest, it was a helluva lot different from what he remembered.

Because last he remembered, the Karakura forest didn't have huge, looming mountains off in the distance. Nor was it rocky or dusty, much like this place was. Above all, the Karakura forest didn't have bright orange mushrooms that ate passerby insects.

With that, he reiterated the question.

"What the hell is going on here!?"

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><p><strong>I don't like overpowered characters, so I trimmed virtually all of Ichigo's reiatsu. It makes sense from a narrative standpoint- In a world without reiatsu or reiryoku, I doubt it'd survive. Zangetsu and Hollow pull in just barely enough energy from the latent magic to survive.<strong>

**Oh, and it should be noted that he isn't helpless. Not by a long shot. Years of combat experience, coupled with an incredible growth rate means that even without reiryoku, he'll bounce back with ease. This is an edit, because some people pointed this out. I simply don't like characters that pass through the story without having any scars to show for it, y'know?**

**More explanations coming up, and we still have Erza's prologue to go!**


	2. Prologue, Erza: Innocent

**A/N**

**Despite the fact that Ichigo and Erza are the two main protagonists, I'm unsure if I want romance or not. I've never written a story with romance before, so it might be choppy or low-quality.**

**Oh, and this is probably the first chapter I've ever written for anything without combat, so I don't know how the quality is.**

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><p>Same-old same-old, a routine that had been unbroken for the scant few years Erza had been living in Earth-Land: Wake up and grab breakfast, go around and clean the house, go out to the corn-field to help collect the spring crop, then retire back to the house, eat dinner and enjoy a book or two, and go to bed. This was life, and it would be her life until the day she died.<p>

Erza was bored. Very bored. Life was easy and routine, the people of Rosemary Village were kind and generous, if a bit static. She was a busybody, and even at the tender age of eleven, she knew that this was no life for her. Still, even though she wanted to leave, to wander, she cared too much for her friends and family to do such a thing. If it meant she could be here for them when they needed it, she would gladly stay here for the rest of her life.

She thought this through while eating her morning porridge, finding it both odd and slightly unsettling to find that these thoughts were becoming more and more frequent. She paused for a moment to look out the window, and into the long, wide fields ahead. Fields that seemed to go on for miles and miles, until they finally ended in a dark and mysterious forest. What was beyond that forest? No one in the village had a clue, but she wanted to-

"Erza, dear, what are you thinking about?" Erza's mother was a sweet woman of mild temperament, without even so much as a hint of an angry side. Her red hair and sweet looks were just as they were, with no other dimensions; caring and compassionate, without even a hint of a temper.

Erza, however, was the opposite, despite her physical resemblance.

"Huh?" Erza asked, slightly startled.

"You looked really distant for a bit. Are you okay?"

_Oh, that's all?_ The girl thought for a fraction of a moment. "No, I'm okay. Just thinking about my chores is all."

Erza's mom had a name that was both difficult to remember and hard to pronounce, as it had been handed down from generation to generation until the meaning became irrelevant. As such, Erza simply called her Mom, and nothing more. Erza never had a father to say anything else; he had been killed by some unknown animal in an unknown year. The people of the town only referred to her as Miss, if only because she herself never cared for her name.

Erza had been the first to break this legacy of names, saying to her that she didn't need some silly four-hundred year old name to have a legacy; she'd create her own.

Said mother simply smiled and set down her bowl. "Don't worry about your chores, Erza, you've done enough for us both. Go and play with your friends, I'm sure Simon would love to see you."

Erza brightened noticeably, looking up to her mother with a happy look in her eye.

"Really?"

"Of course, go on now."

Erza jumped from her chair and closed the gap between her and her mom with a single, dexterous leap. She enveloped her mother with a gargantuan, love-filled hug that only the extremely innocent and the extremely young could ever manage. Right now, the scarlet-haired girl was both of those things.

"Thank you so much!" She shouted, and just as quickly, broke into a run and sprinted out the door.

Erza's mom, whose name was unknown, merely smiled as she watched her daughter run into the town common. The girl was extremely fast, and that was a fact. She would grow up to be just like her late father, and that was also a fact.

The thought made her smile dim just a little bit.

Erza herself, meanwhile, was extremely happy. Not only was she given a full day off to do as she pleased- an event that only happened a few times a year, and only if the holiday was placed conveniently- but her friend _also_ had a day off, an extremely unusual but welcome coincidence. As she ran ahead with short but incredibly fast strides, all she could think of was the possibilities that the day held.

The forest was always a fun place to explore, always something or someone to see. Sometimes, they might even find some old building or cave to explore, which was always a bonus. Or perhaps she could go to visit the Rosemary Mines. They had long since been depleted of any ore, but the inside was always dark and creepy- very, very mysterious.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she saw Simon walking aimlessly down the road, doing nothing in particular. He smiled ever so slightly when he saw Erza, and raised his hand to wave at her.

"Erza! Hey!"

"Hey yourself, Simon. C'mon, let's go and look around; it's boring here."

The taller boy grinned, his agreement already known, if unspoken. He quickly fell in stride behind his best friend, not quite as eager to explore but just as lively. Erza always was an energetic one; she would never hurt a fly, she was just too compassionate, but she was just as likely to challenge that fly to a race or something just to prove that she was fast. That same Erza would just as likely explore some haunted crypt or decrepit mansion just because she was curious.

That was the Erza that Simon knew, fearless, smart, pretty, always ready for an adventure or a contest, but just as ready to help up a fallen kid or take on some extra work, even on a holiday. A good person, the exact kind of person you'd find organizing a charity or volunteering over in some desolate stretch of land just because.

They came to the edge of the forest, where the peaceful, idyllic village's borders came to an end. Here, all was quiet and still, away from the sound of work and commerce, away from the admittedly small population of Rosemary. Erza was the first to move, as always, and entered the forest's dark folds, unmindful of the impossibly thick canopy of trees that seemed to devour the sunlight.

Simon followed suit, following almost exactly in his friend's footsteps, and being painfully aware of his surroundings all the same. Although this mindfulness was not born of sheer curiosity or interest, as it was with his friend, but rather it was simply a way to make sure he _didn't_ get disemboweled by some horrible bear-thing. He wasn't a coward, far from it- he couldn't count how many bullies he had beaten into the dust simply because Erza was too kind to- but he actually _had_ a sense of fear, unlike Erza.

"Hey, Simon, who's that?" Erza's slightly tremulous voice snapped Simon out of his thoughts.

He followed Erza's gaze and found a man, a boy actually, not much older than them. Looking freshly knocked out, and with a single over-sized blade laid just out of his left arm's reach. His bright orange hair seemed to brighten the clearing they were in- which had been darkened by the time of day and the shadows cast by the trees.

This boy, whose face was buried in the dirt, was covered in blood.

Lots, and lots of blood.

"Oh my God..." Simon's voice trailed off as he stepped back, immediately feeling his scant breakfast ooze it's way up his throat.

"Come on, Simon, we need to see if he's okay!" Erza paid no mind to the pool of semi-dried blood surrounding the boy, or the fact that he was armed, and immediately shot forward.

She flipped the boy over, revealing a face that seemed both too young and too old at once. A face that was obviously worn by most of the village boys- unmarred, fresh, not a wrinkle or blemish in fight. But, that didn't excuse the fact that, even with his mouth pressed into an unreadable line and his eyes shut, he looked... Tired. Distant, even.

Then she saw the massive stab wound in his stomach, and right there, Erza nearly lost her iron-clad resolve. It was just so... Cruel. For someone to have such a critical injury, to be left for dead in a forest... It was evil and unfair. And the fact that he looked barely sixteen did little to assuage the feeling of revulsion and disgust rising in her stomach.

"Simon, give me a hand. We're bringing him back to the village." Erza's commanding voice easily brought back a bit of life into the boy's eyes.

"You got it."

Erza grabbed his legs, Simon grabbed his shoulders, gripping the tough material of his black robe-like garment. He was heavy. Very, very heavy, despite his seemingly slim stature. Erza took his over-sized dagger and slid it into a sack thrown over her back, and continued to carry the boy like that. It was fortunate that today was a relatively cool day, with temperatures that barely ever rose past 15 Degrees Celsius.

Despite that, the two were sweating profusely as they carried him through the forest, taking just over an hour and a half to finally bring him to the outskirts of the village. Finally, Simon laid him on the ground and stood watch, while Erza went yelling about, trying to call someone's attention.

"Help! Help! We found a boy in the woods, he's bleeding bad! Someone help!" With cries that were panicked and loud, it didn't take long for someone to answer the call.

A door slammed open, loud enough to wake the dead. As it happened, it was Simon's dad who heard first. Behind him, little Kagura who hid between his legs and watched the exchange.

"Someone's hurt?!"

"Yeah, Simon and I found him in the woods. Come quick, we need your help Mr. Mikazuchi." She began to run in the boy's general direction. The older man was quick to follow.

In the small, simple town of Rosemary, injuries were uncommon, and injuries on a level like the boy's were unheard of. Whatever, or whoever had done this to him had been aiming to kill; his stomach had been ripped open, utterly and completely, and it was sheer luck alone that had left this one alive long enough for Erza to find him.

Mr. Mikazuchi was no surgeon, far from it, and whatever he did would be more likely to hurt the boy rather than help him. He looked to his daughter, Kagura, who seemed to be hiding idly behind him.

"Kagura, go get the doctor. Fast, we're counting on you." The girl nodded, and that was all it took. A moment later, she was off like a shot, flying through the tiny streets of the town.

The man found some crates and lifted him up, grunting at the unexpected weight of the boy's body, and laid him down. This was all so sudden, so unexpected. Just a moment ago, he had been preparing the day's lunch and idly leafing through a novel when he heard the shouts. Now... He was playing doctor to a boy that could very well die in his hands.

The boy in question fluttered his eyes open, his brown eyes scanning his surroundings. He looked Erza in the eye, who seemed to be looking at him with open confusion.

"Where... Where am I?" His voice was husky and weak, a far-cry from that authoritative and commanding timbre he had used to lead troops into battle.

"You're safe. A doctor is on the way, so don't worry."

Ichigo repeated his question. "Where am I?"

The barely-perceptible look of puzzlement in Erza's expression widened into full-bloomed confusion. Luckily, Mr. Mikazuchi stepped in to answer.

"Rosemary town, young man. Can you tell me how you got hurt so bad?"

Ichigo remained silent, and instead let his head fall back onto the pile of rough cloth that served as his pillow. He was hurting, bad, and even Zangetsu's soothing words and Hollow's abrasive comments did little to change that.

Simon was trembling out of nervousness now, unsure of what to do. Here this boy was, asking questions and probably in agony, and he couldn't do a damned thing. When the hell was Kagura gonna get back?!

"What's your name?" Simon asked, mainly out of nervousness.

"Ichigo." With that, Ichigo fell back into dark, blissful oblivion. Silence and sleep, all around.

The sound of footsteps came back, this time at least five times louder than when Kagura had taken off. It seemed that Kagura had brought back the doctor _and_ a tenth of the village. Panting and exhausted, she slid in beside her father and caught her breath. The doctor immediately took his place over Ichigo, going over him with a small, incredibly sharp blade that had been tempered with magic energy.

"His wounds are extremely severe. How long has he been like this?"

Erza stepped forward. "We found him in the forest; we don't know how long he's been hurt."

"This isn't good. An infection has probably set in at this rate... Wait, there's no signs of any blood poisoning, none at all. Could it be...?" The doctor's voice trailed for a moment before picking back up. "Ah, it seems that he's been subconsciously using magic to keep his body sterile and stop too much blood from leaking."

While no one present was a mage, or even particularly versed in casual every-day magic, Kagura found it odd that he was able to do such a thing.

"Is that even possible?"

The doctor shrugged. "I don't know, but we can ask him _after_ we close his wounds. Someone get a stretcher, we need to get him to my office as soon as I stabilize him."

Two men immediately scuttled off to find one.

"Someone else get some water boiling, and get some fresh sheets too!" The doctor called out just before reaching for his tools.

Today was going to be a _very_ long day.

* * *

><p>Erza returned home with blood-spattered hands, and was greeted by her very frantic mother.<p>

"Erza! What happened to you?!" She shouted as she ran to get some bandages.

"It's okay, Simon and I found a boy in the woods who got hurt. We brought him back to the doctor."

Erza's mother should have scolded her, she really should have, but right now, she was too busy trying to clean her off and check for injuries. She found the bandages and soaked one of them in cold well-water, not minding to dry it off or heat it up in her frantic bid. She sprinted back to her daughter and moved to clean off the dried blood on her hands and face.

"Are you sure you're okay, Erza?"

With that 'stop worrying mom, I'm fine' voice that she used so often, she assured her that she was indeed okay.

"I'm fine, Mom, it's just a little blood."

"This is way more blood than a child your age should ever have to see!" Her voice rose just a little higher than it should have, but it was otherwise the normal worried-mother tone.

"I'm _fine_, Mom." She admonished her mother, despite the fact that the aforementioned mother was wiping blood off her cheek. Erza really didn't have much of a fear-sense, and sometimes it made her just a little bit aloof to the inner emotions of other human beings.

"I swear, you're just like your father." She commented dryly as she dried Erza's face with one of the bandages.

That made Erza grin just a little bit. She had always heard tales about her adventuring father, like the time he saved Mom from a wandering band of Vulcans, or the time he went on a job to kill a Wyvern, and then came back with six-hundred thousand Jewels, and built Mom a house in this little village. In the stories that Mom told, her father was a righteous, fearless man with the strength to match.

Although Erza had never seen hide nor hair of this man, and despite the fact that even _Mom_ thought he was dead, she looked up to him. She aspired to surpass her late father, no matter the cost...

...And she had just wandered off into an unrelated tangent. Oh well, it happens. Erza looked out the window to see that it was just barely past mid-day. Still plenty of time to do whatever and just hang out for awhile.

"Mom, can I go back outside?" She asked hopefully, giving her best pout.

Erza's mother sighed in defeat. "Fine, just stay out of the forest, and get changed before you go. Then you can stay out until night, deal?"

She grumbled something along the lines of "who needs clothes...", but she complied anyway. She sprinted to her room and slammed the door shut. Erza rifled through her dresser and slapped on the closest clean garment; a simple brown-tunic shirt that was almost one-and-a-half times her size. Oh well, it fit, and it was clean, so that was enough for her.

She grinned cheerfully, almost forgetting the events that had transpired just an _hour_ ago, and dashed back out the door. Her mother could only watch her run off, an ever-so-slightly embarrassed smile on her face.

The day might have been a bit... hampered, inadvertently of course, by Ichigo, but she still had plenty of time. The sun was still in the air and she had a few more hours before she had to turn in, but first, she'd return the orange-haired boy's dagger to him. She knew it for what it was; a weapon, a tool used exclusively for killing, but the boy seemed like an alright sort, and it was against her nature to _not_ return people's goods to them.

She recalled the location of the doctor's office, and in an instant, was off like a shot. Good to see her sprinting hadn't changed in any way, shape, or form. She arrived in front of the doctor's office in question, and pushed past the front doors. That same burlap sack from yesterday was slung over her shoulder, as the black blade inside it was both too large and too heavy to hold in her hands with any sort of ease.

"Uh, is Ichigo up yet, Doctor?" She asked with a tiny bit of nervousness in her voice.

"Yes, he is. Would you like to speak to him?" The doctor's voice was the very essence of politeness.

Erza hummed in agreement and stepped forward, into Ichigo's room. It was a small thing, about twice the size of most bathrooms, but it held all the necessary commodities. A stack of randomly assorted books to keep the patient from going mad, a cot, and a small set of tools lying on a table. Ichigo looked at her, an unreadable, stoic light in his eyes.

"Hey." Was his even, monotone greeting.

"Uh... Hi. I was the one who found you in the forest..." She trailed off, unsure of what to say.

"Yeah, I heard. Thanks for that." Ichigo almost seemed content to wave her off after that, but a thought struck him. "Was there a couple of swords lying next to me? I can't seem to find them..."

Erza brightened noticeably. "No, only one. Actually, I brought it with me today!" Erza didn't know if it was a smart idea to give a hospital patient a weapon, but she didn't quite care.

There was no grin, no happy exclamation of thanks or surprise, just a muffled "Thank you." was all she heard.

Oh well, maybe he was just weird.

"Take care now, Ichigo!"

The boy in question didn't stop to ask questions or anything, unlike any other normal person, he instead just gave a noncommittal hum and let her leave, instead focusing on his dagger-blade, holding it against the light and examining that dark sheen that seemed to devour light and exude power.

Erza was more than a little confused, and a number of questions were racing through her head. Still, she avoided asking them, not until the stranger was at least a little bit more healed, and a bit more capable of answering. There would be time in the future for such things, she was sure of it.

* * *

><p><em>Seven days later<em>

It had been a week since Simon and Erza had found Ichigo in the forest. During that week, the boy- man?- had recovered about as quickly as a speeding train, had trained at near-constant rates, and had served as the town's guardian as thanks for all they had done. Really, the mayor hadn't asked for money or pay of any kind, but that never stopped Ichigo from patrolling the town during his morning, noon, and evening runs and putting down any wild animal or bandit he saw with surprisingly non-lethal force.

While the small, close-knit community of Rosemary was far from trusting of him, he was also much more than a casual acquaintance these days. People said hi to him on his way out, and while he wasn't exactly friendly with his replies, he made sure to _always_ say something back. Sometimes he was offered free meals or rooms by the inn he stayed in, but he always refused with the exact same answer:

"You guys saved my life. You don't need to feed me too." Always, word-for-word with that same emotionless monotone that he used for every word he said.

And that was the crux of the matter. Ichigo was a good enough sort, never willing to kill even bandits or animals- he always knocked them out by slamming the hilt of his dagger into their heads, or by using his fists instead. Aye, the dagger was much more of a tool than a weapon these days, more often seen chopping wood rather than flesh. But despite that goodness, he was unreadable. His voice was monotone, and him actually saying more than a few sentences at once were a rarity.

On the outside, he was completely and totally emotionally dead. He possessed no reaction to the odd assortment that gave thanks or sang praise when he brought in another criminal, nor did he care when the doctor scolded him for training too heavy and too often- On one occasion, he had been doing nothing but non-stop exercise for just under eighteen hours. He took ever situation tossed at him with the same dead expression and plastered lips.

But, his eyes weren't quite as well-hidden. Erza wasn't a particularly observant or emotionally aware person; she was completely dense to the odd arrangement of village boys who had fallen head-over-heels for her beautiful hair and features, but she knew pain when she saw it. When it came to pain, Ichigo seemed to have a metric ton of the stuff.

His face was always forward and his lips were always shut and motionless. His eyes, however, were sometimes filled with so much pain and longing, it was hard to see how he had coped as long and as well as he had. When the boy looked back at the village, sometimes that pain would flicker across his face. Sometimes the same happened when he looked at her, and some of the other children. And sometimes that look of pain came into his eyes when he looked at his right hand, which was always unarmed and empty.

He was just so... Unusual. He was an enigma, he was mysterious. He was _different_. For once in her short life, Erza's routine had been shattered into dust and she found something new. Even if that something had a massive social-disorder and a protective complex, it was definitely a break from the grain.

Naturally, the scarlet-haired girl was both curious and sympathetic on the subject of the fifteen-year old boy who had taken on the role as the village defender. Sometimes she wondered about his sheer strength of will, and how someone so young could stand to train or work as hard as he did without giving up. He wasn't like all the other action heroes she read about in her novels. Those heroes were perfect in every way, effortlessly destroying each and every foe they came across without even a shred of difficulty.

Ichigo was different. As far as Erza could tell, he was about as normal as everyone else here- physically speaking, anyway- his strength never came from innate power or being chosen by a celestial being. That strength came from hard work and constant training, plain and simple. Nothing else to it. She was still young, she was still impressionable, and as such, she very quickly came found someone to look up to.

Ichigo, who seemed to have no last name, became her role model. They had known each other for a week, Erza had little personal contact with him, and he'd left an overall bad first impression. Despite that, Erza felt more than just token sympathy for him, she felt as if she could reach out and be his friend, as if she and him had more alike than she realized. As young and innocent as she was, she knew a good person when she saw one.

So, she would learn and watch, and if she ever got a chance to break Ichigo out of the hell he'd gotten himself into- and he was indeed in suffering- then she would take it upon herself to do as such. After all, she wouldn't be Erza if she didn't at least try.

* * *

><p><strong>AN**

**Was Erza OOC? I don't have much info on her child counterpart, it just says that she was extremely caring and affectionate, but that's it. Please, tell me!**

**If I did anything wrong, don't hesitate to tell me. I love criticism, because it helps me grow. (Not because I have a masochist streak... Really! Stop accusing me!)**

**Bear in mind, these are just prologue chapters. The full chapter length of my normal stories is roughly six thousand words, give or take, so these are just about two thirds of the normal length of my chapters. That's that, I'm signing out.**


	3. Rebirth

**A/N**

**So, all responses to anonymous reviews are posted at the bottom. Before I get to the chapter, I do have a few things to discuss, mostly about the coming chapter.**

**I changed Kagura's backstory somewhat, so don't get angry. Oh, and by this time, she's fifteen. Weird, I know, but the wiki says that she's 23, which also means that she's four years older than Erza. This, of course, causes some discrepancies in canon; like when Erza rescued her, it doesn't make sense that an eleven year old girl saved a fifteen year old one.**

**Maybe I made a mistake, but that's just how it goes. I won't change it even if it is my mistake, because having an older protagonist makes my life easier.**

**Erza may seem slightly... Fanatic.**

**That is all.**

* * *

><p><em>One month later<em>

The moon was hanging low in the sky, the stars were just beginning their ascent. Night was upon the small town of Rosemary. Ichigo just sat still, overlooking his new home at the top of a tree, where he would sleep for the night. Call it unsafe, but Ichigo preferred sleeping in a tree, rather than on the ground.

But his sleeping situation was not what was on his mind. He was wondering about many, many other things right now. Many questions and wonders about why he was here, and what the hell had happened to him.

"Hey, Zangetsu, why do you think I look like a fifteen year old?"

_"I do not know, Ichigo."_

And there was the problem with communicating with what was essentially yourself. A zanpakuto spirit might be smarter or more clever than its owner, they might even be able to process information differently than their owner, but they never knew more. A zanpakuto shared what it knew with its master, and vice versa, meaning that Zangetsu had absolutely no answers for Ichigo.

At least, no _solid_ answers.

_"Perhaps, because we have traveled into a universe where reiatsu does not exist, our body has reverted to a state when we never had reiatsu to begin with. Thus, you're body is the same as it was the day before you met Rukia Kuchiki."_ All this was sheer speculation, of course, but it was comforting all the same to Ichigo.

"Didn't we always have reiatsu? I mean, I've always been able to see ghosts."

_"Yes, but your Shinigami power had always been locked away. I do not know the answer to this, but I'd presume that your body has reverted back to the day just before it was awakened, but your mind remains the same."_

"You're smarter than me, Zangetsu, so I'll defer to your judgment." Ichigo muttered, his tone not quite in agreement with what he said. Of course, he still wondered why his injuries persisted even as his body changed back, but he didn't quite care at the moment.

His zanpakuto gave a very satisfied hum of agreement, before going back to slumber away in the depths of Ichigo's head. Although why he did this, Ichigo had no idea; zanpakuto spirits had no need for food, water, or sleep. But whatever, he'd let the old man sleep.

Ichigo, however, wasn't afforded such a luxury.

His mind was too busy racing with thoughts and wonders about this world, and his standing in terms of raw power. As it was at the moment, he was weak; while his physical strength would be back to top-notch with a few more weeks of training, whatever spiritual powers he used to have had faded into dust. If this world had what it seemed to have, that being some sort of energy that was capable of sustaining the lives of spirits, then there were no doubt people who could harness this power.

At least, that was the logic going on in his mind.

If he couldn't get a grasp on this power, this energy, then any physical or mental training he underwent would be in vain. After all, what was mere strength in the face of a super-sonic energy blast? For Tatsuki, that question had been answered in a time long passed, and the answer was a resounding "nothing at all."

But even with the question of his strength aside, there were numerous other things that would have to be answered. The biggest of which were where he was and how he got there. Whatever, it was too damn confusing. They still had to pick up Hollow from that forest whenever they got the chance, first thing tomorrow morning.

"Zangetsu. Do you think we'll ever get back home?"

_"I do not know, Ichigo."_

"I miss Goat-Face. I can't believe I'm saying it, but I miss the old bastard."

_"Stand strong, Ichigo. We'll survive whatever this universe throws at us. Abandon your fear. Look to the future, and not at the past."_

"Heard it all before, Zangetsu. I know we have to be strong for this, I just don't know how to _get_ stronger."

Hollow interjected, his voice bringing a dull ache in the back of Ichigo's head as he spoke.

_"Quit whining, King. We'll figure this mess out, and maybe kill one or two people along the way."_

"No one's going to die, Hollow."

_"Don't count on it, King. No one's ever climbed to the top without crushing a few skulls in the process."_

"There's a first time for everything, Hollow."

* * *

><p>Ichigo's morning patrol came and went with startling speed, and he returned home without even a scratch. It seemed that his efforts were not in vain; ever since a few weeks ago, when he had taken down at least six bandits in a single, catastrophic fight, there just hadn't been any activity. Too bad, because right now, Ichigo was bored.<p>

Well, he could handle his boredom later. For now, he had to pick up some breakfast and head into the woods; if the Hollow half of his zanpakuto still existed, it would be there. If not, well, then too bad.

Coincidentally, he ran into the one and only person who could have guided him through that forest.

Erza was there, by one of the stalls, handing over a sack of what was probably grain or corn, in exchange for a basket of apples. Barter and trade at it's best. She turned around with the basket hanging awkwardly in her hands, and spotted Ichigo. She smiled warmly, although Ichigo couldn't for the life of him figure out why.

But with that aside, this was a perfect opportunity to find his sword.

"Erza. You found me in the forest, right?"

She practically _beamed_ at him, her face lighting up with just the simple act of smiling. "Yeah."

"Could you take me to the spot you found me in when you have free time?" Ichigo's voice was perfectly even, perfectly monotone. Many in the village found his lack of emotion unsettling, but others, like this child didn't seem to care.

"I can go right now, if you want!" As if to punctuate this, her handle on the basket slipped, and the whole thing came tumbling to the ground.

Ichigo shot out his left hand and grabbed the basket, just before it's contents spilled everywhere, and held onto it.

"I think we should get this back to your house, first."

Her smile turned just a little bit embarrassed. "Okay..."

Ichigo carried the basket easily in one hand, finding it's weight to be a slight comfort. Ever since Zangetsu had changed his form into two blades, one denoting his Quincy heritage and the other his Shinigami strength, he had missed the comforting weight of a single, heavy blade. That feeling only doubled when he woke up without Hollow anywhere in sight.

Erza seemed to pick up on his thoughts,

"Hey, Ichigo, where'd you get your dagger?"

He chose his words carefully. "It's a gift. From a friend."

"Who was your friend?"

Ichigo didn't bring up the zanpakuto blacksmith who had forged this blade for him, nor did he tell her that his dagger was actually a living being all on it's own. To do so would have been stupid.

"He was a famous blacksmith, but I haven't seen him in awhile." Not entirely untrue; the last time he'd seen Nimaiya ever since the Vandenreich had fired their infamous Reishi super-cannon.

Erza continued on, nonplussed. "How come you only use it for chopping wood? All you ever do with it in a fight is hit people with the handle."

"Hilt." Ichigo corrected. "And it's against my morals to kill a person."

"You're a really good person, you know that?"

Ichigo stopped walking for a moment. "No, I'm only repaying a debt. You saved my life."

Erza pressed the point. "But ever since you started doing your patrols, we haven't even seen a bandit get past the fields. Really, the market used to have a dozen guards before you came by!" Erza's voice was both adorably irritating and strangely logical.

Too bad Ichigo didn't care.

"Whatever. Just focus on getting us to that house of yours, and not on running your mouth."

Despite the harsh words, his tone was decidedly lighter than it was earlier. Erza merely grinned and pushed ahead.

"Uh huh. Whatever you say, Ichi~go!" Her voice was so cute and innocent; it made Ichigo feel like killing a bunny.

The teen remained silent, and trudged forward. Eyes plastered on the winding road that eventually led to Erza's home. Then his thoughts and his gaze shifted to the distant forest, off to the right. A huge, dark forest with a massive canopy that seemed to swallow sunlight whole. Had his new life in this world really started there?

Then he realized that he should have died there. He _would_ have died there if Erza hadn't came trundling through the woods at just the right time, and happened to find him there. It wasn't exactly a stunning revelation, but it was startling all the same. He owed his life to this eleven year old girl, one way or another.

"How'd you find me?" He asked tentatively, slightly uncomfortably.

Her answer was without hesitation. "Simon and I were exploring the forest when I saw a clearing. And you were there, with a big wound in your stomach, so we carried you back to the village." She frowned for a moment. "Why do you want to go back there, anyway?"

"There's something I need to find. If it's going to be anywhere, that's the place."

Before Erza could reply, they had arrived at her cottage. She opened the door, and Ichigo stepped inside of the small, four-room home. A light blush came over her face when she realized she hadn't cleaned the place. She felt oddly self-conscious over the mess, and she couldn't for the life of her realize why. Ichigo didn't care, though. He simply put the basket on the kitchen table and left the building, silently telling Erza to do the same.

They spent most of the trip in silence; understandable, really, because they had been running most of the way. To Erza, this was little more than a fun diversion from her chores. To Ichigo, this was a matter of extreme importance, and there was little time to waste. So they ran, heedless of the strange looks the villagers gave the two of them.

There was a forest they had to get to, and nothing was going to slow them down.

When they finally got there, it wasn't quite what they expected.

The forest clearing was somewhat of an ugly sight. The trees here were... Off, looking slightly more aged and warped than the forest that surrounded them. The ground had been turned black and rough, much like sand, and any and all plants had died here. This place was... old. Much older than everything else. It was a question worth asking, Erza thought, but Ichigo seemed just as perplexed by it.

Of course, the huge brownish blood stain where Ichigo had been found made things look a lot worse. That, and the fact that said Ichigo had just chopped away about a half-dozen bushes and small trees in search of his other sword also made things look a bit uglier.

"C'mon, where the hell is it?!" He shouted as he scoured the clearing. He drew Zangetsu once more and chopped a blueberry bush to tiny, green fragments, mostly out of frustration.

Erza watched on in relative, confused silence. It seemed that the situation was important enough for Ichigo to actually display some emotion this time around. Granted, that emotion was mere anger, and nothing more, but at least it proved he wasn't robotic.

The boy growled aggressively, frustrated beyond relief, if only for a moment. He stopped rummaging for a moment, realizing that his traveling companion had lapsed into an uncomfortable silence.

"Um... Ichigo, what're you looking for?" She questioned, somewhat nervously. It was understandable; her previously polite, friendly companion seemed to have been reduced to a desperate animal scrabbling for a bone.

"Well, you see this dagger?" He pointed to Zangetsu. "I had another sword to go with him, but I can't find it."

Erza considered her next words. "You called your knife a 'him.'" Eh, she probably could've considered that a bit longer.

Ichigo froze up like a deer in headlights.

_"She's an eleven year old girl, King! She doesn't pose a threat. She won't find out your secret, and she sure as hell isn't going to do anything about it."_ Hollow screeched maniacally in his head.

_"Right, right."_ Ichigo shot back.

"Oh, my knife? I named him Zangetsu."

Erza responded with a simple "Oh."

Ichigo looked around the clearing. This was his semi-literal birthplace, the place the portal had ripped open. Strange that it was this clearing that seemed to be about fifty years older than everywhere else... Did it have something to do with all that reality-causality tempering he had done?

_"Whoop-di-fucking-doo. Looks like ya figured it out, King! You ripped open a new asshole for the universe, and ended up raping the passage of time!"_ Jeez, Hollow had a dirty mouth.

_"Quiet down, Albino Bastard!"_

"C'mon, Erza. We should head back to town."

"Right!"

* * *

><p><em>The following day<em>

Ah, training, it was a necessity for some, and a hobby for others. For Ichigo, it was a royal pain in the ass. Sure, he had opted into this on his own free volition, and there really wasn't anything that told him he had to keep doing it, but he'd be damned if he didn't admit that he regretted it every single morning when he woke up battered and bruised. It didn't help that he slept in a tree every night.

And that was what he was doing now, in that blazing time between noon and sunset, when the damned sun was too freaking insistent on being a pain in the ass. What was also a pain in the ass was the damned sparring partner he had chosen for himself: Mr. Mikazuchi. The guy was kinda old and kinda weird, but he was oddly skilled with a katana- a skill he had passed onto his daughter, so it seemed.

"Ichigo, are you sure about this? I don't have any practice Shinai lying around, so I could really hurt you." The man said while gesturing to his katana.

"Don't care." He muttered while bringing Zangetsu up and forward. They stood about forty feet apart from one another; well out of reach from one another, but still capable of closing the distance extremely quickly.

"...Alright." Without so much as a by-your-leave, he charged forward.

_He's faster than I thought!_ Ichigo's thoughts screamed at him as he too dashed ahead.

He held Zangetsu in a reverse-grip, ready and able to parry the next strike that came his way. As it happened, his defense was perfectly timed.

Mr. Mikazuchi slammed against Ichigo's black dagger, his own katana shooting off a burst of sparks at the impact, before pulling back. Ichigo pressed his advantage, pushing forward and slashing away with Zangetsu- whose blade had been intentionally dulled to avoid injury- before catching the man with a glancing blow down the length of his shoulder.

The sheer force of the impact made the older man grimace, before he thrust his katana forward, straight for Ichigo's gut. The boy dodged right and swept his foot in a low-flying kick. The elder Mikazuchi jumped backward, panting slightly, before shifting his blade into a more defensive stance.

"You're stronger than I thought!" He exclaimed.

"...Thanks." Ichigo muttered, his voice quiet and monotone.

Ichigo lunged forward. The older man dug his feet in to defend against the incoming attack. With all the force of a runaway train, Ichigo _slammed_ into his enemy's blade, knocking his stance loose and earning himself a tiny window to attack. He pulled back, dodging a hastily-thrown swing, and thrust forward, slamming Zangetsu's blunt tip into Mikazuchi's thigh.

The older man groaned in pain before whipping his katana's hilt into Ichigo's exposed forehead, and then stepping back.

Ichigo's head exploded into an array of lights and blinding pain, before he recomposed himself. He had felt worse. He shifted his dagger forward, it's tip aimed directly at his enemy's chest, and lunged once more. His speed was incredible, at least, by human standards, but it was a far cry from what he used to be able to do. His strength really had languished; Ichigo had forgotten how much he had relied on reiryoku to win his battles.

As if he had sensed his doubt, the elder Mikazuchi side-stepped the dash with ease and slashed at his rapidly-moving body. Ichigo parried the attack with a skillful twist of the blade, stopping the strike and managing to knock the man's hold just a bit loose. However, even then he hadn't managed to stop a small gash from opening up across his chest.

The orange-haired boy grit his teeth in pain, desperately ignoring the sting and instead focusing on the fight. This time, it was the older man who made the offensive, rushing in with an exaggerated but oddly effective downward swing. Ichigo had already closed the distance and jabbed his blade forward, catching the man right where his heart should be, but the man only smirked. Mr. Mikazuchi slammed his knee into Ichigo's stomach. Hard.

The impact left him weak and breathless, with pain and interspersed nausea running rampant through his head.

"Ichigo, are you sure about this? I really don't want to hurt you..."

The boy in question looked up, eyes alight with a fury no one had ever seen before. This was combat, this was a fight. And consequences or implications be damned, he knew how he felt.

He loved every second of it.

"Don't. Care." Somehow, he managed to add emphasis to both words without shattering his monotone.

The two of them stood their ground, both of them cautious to approach, although for different reasons. Ichigo was wary of the reach advantage that the katana gave his enemy, as well as the fact that, of the two of them, he alone could cause any real damage. Mikazuchi was wary because he knew that, had this been a real fight, he'd have died three times by now- Once when Ichigo slashed him down the shoulder, once when Ichigo had stabbed him in the thigh, and another when he had stabbed him right in the heart.

"Who taught you to fight, Ichigo? You're a lot stronger and a lot faster than anyone I know."

"Experience."

The older man had no time to comment or question; Ichigo was off like a shot just a moment after he spoke. Ichigo swung up, Zangetsu held in reverse, and slammed the dark blade into the man's fist. Mikazuchi groaned in pain and dashed back, reaffirming his grip before rushing back in. The two warriors, one of them substantially stronger than the other, hit each other with enough force to leave a crater in the earth. Sparks flew as Ichigo parried another downward swing, and there they stood, stuck in a deadlock.

Ichigo redoubled his strength and pushed against his enemy, forcing said enemy back a few inches. A few inches was all he needed.

He pulled back, and as predictable as can be, the older man stumbled forward. With the grace and speed he was so known for, he shifted his blade back and slammed Zangetsu's hilt into his stomach. The impact was hard enough to leave a dark, discolored bruise, as well as knock every last bit of air from his lungs. Ichigo pulled back and launched a deadly kick; his right leg moved like a piston and slammed into him.

Mr. Mikazuchi was on the ground and gasping in pain, unsure of just what had happened. Ichigo appeared in front of him, dagger pointed at his throat. His face was impassive, dull. If he had been in a real battle, whatever unlucky fool who fought Ichigo would be shivering in his boots.

"You win, fair and square." He groaned. "Ah, my damned gut..."

"Sorry Mr. Mikazuchi." Ichigo stepped back and sheathed his dagger.

"Eh, don't worry about it. And call me Will, why don't you?" Will got to his feet, still shaky. He picked up his katana and sheathed it as well, dismayed to find that his practice-sheathe had been cracked during the fight.

"You know, you're leagues better than all the other 'warriors' around here. I think you'd be a better teacher for Kagura than me..."

Ichigo stopped dead in his tracks.

_"Ha, you're fucked, King!"_

* * *

><p><em>Later that day<em>

_"Ichigo. Do you miss having your power?"_ Zangetsu asked.

"You're my zanpakuto. Shouldn't you know what I'm thinking?"

_"It's better to hear it directly from you, and not from your mind."_

Ichigo sighed. "You're so damned old-fashioned, Zangetsu. And yes, I do miss it. I just... don't feel right without my power."

_"This world is not as it seems at first glance. The substance in this air, while not Reishi, is somewhat similar to Reishi. Perhaps there are people who make use of it? Perhaps we can find a replacement for your lost strength."_

"I'd like that, Zangetsu, but if this stuff is _anything_ like reiatsu, I'd need to have been born with it. As far as I can tell, I don't have any."

_"Shinigami must train to attain and increase their reiatsu. Perhaps you must do the same?"_

"Shinigami are born with the stuff, and they have to train to get more. If you don't have it, there's nothing you can do about it." He paused. "What the hell, this is too confusing. We'll talk about it later, Zangetsu."

Another voice, other than Hollow or Zangetsu, made itself known.

"You talk to your knife?"

Kagura.

Dammit.

Ichigo turned to her, unsure of what to say. "Yeah, I... I guess I do." He didn't stumble over his words, but his speech was both slow and slightly- _slightly_- embarrassed.

The girl giggled childishly. "That's okay, sometimes I talk to my dolls."

_That's different. _Ichigo thought, unsure of why he was defending her.

"Oh... Okay." After a brief pause, he continued. "What do you want?"

"I was wondering when you'd start training me."

Ichigo sighed disdainfully. "I never agreed on anything. Your old man was lying to you if he said I'd teach you."

"Come on... Please?" Kagura whined and pouted.

Ah the classic Beggar-Face. Had Ichigo been a more sensitive sort, he might have succumbed to it. But living with Yuzu had all but desensitized him; her efforts were in vain. Ichigo smiled nonetheless, his face showing a fair bit more emotion than usual. Call him creepy, but the kids of this village were too damn innocent for him to remain so... Apathetic all the time.

"That isn't going to work, Kagura. Go bother someone else."

"What if I said that I could teach you magic, in exchange?"

Ichigo snorted. "You have to be kidding me. You're fifteen years old; you don't know any magic."

"You're the same age as me, stop being so condescending." Oh, right. Ichigo had forgotten about the age-reversion that he had suffered. "And besides, I _do_ know magic." She said cockily as she primed an orange orb in her hand. "I'm not that good, and I don't have much magic energy, but I know how to use Gravity Magic!" Despite her enthusiasm, just holding the orb in her hand had left her panting.

Kagura snapped her fingers, releasing and dispelling the orb into particles. She looked weak and ready to fall to her knees, but to her credit, she stayed on her feet.

"Train me!" She exclaimed.

"No."

"But don't you want to learn Magic? I can teach you how to change gravity, if you teach me how to use a sword." Her voice was getting slightly desperate. Ichigo had no idea why.

"Why do you care so much, anyway?"

Her answer was both without hesitation and full of youthful vitality. "Because you're the strongest person in this whole village!"

"Your dad can train you just fine." He muttered.

"Yeah, but you beat my dad. I'll teach you magic and you'll teach me swordsmanship, it's a fair trade."

Kagura was both naive and innocent. If Ichigo trained her the way he had been trained, he would invariably break that part of her forever. Kisuke had never trained him to win his battles; he had trained him to win the _war_, to_ survive._ That sort of training just wasn't right for a girl that would never see a war in her life.

"You don't want the training I got, Kagura. Try again in a few years."

The girl frowned. "I don't care if you have to break me down and reforge me. I need to be strong."

Ichigo groaned in dismay. This was such a cliché line, and coming from someone as young as her, it was plain ridiculous.

"Sure, and why in the hell does an fifteen year old girl need strength?"

"Because I want to avenge my mother."

Oh. That's why she needed strength.

"What happened?"

She looked away. "I can't say."

Ichigo growled in frustration. "_Why_ can't you say?"

"Because it's private!" Kagura's voice was rising quickly.

"Don't give me that crap! Tell me!"

She looked to be on the verge of tears now. She was probably regretting her choice now, but Ichigo didn't care. Sob stories weren't his thing, even if he himself had one. But, if she was on a quest for vengeance, he might as well give her training to make sure she survived it.

Turning her away from that route would be impossible; Ichigo would know, he had been on the same journey after finding out that Grand Fisher had been the one responsible for Masaki's death.

"My mom died when I was nine." He intoned monotonously.

Kagura looked up, eyes shimmering. "Really?"

Ichigo didn't acknowledge her, he just continued to speak. "It was raining, and we were walking by a riverbank. I saw this woman, and she looked like she was going to dive into the river. I moved to stop her... And then I was knocked unconscious. When I woke up, my mother was dead and I was covered in her blood. The woman by the riverbank was long gone. Six years later, when I found the bastard who did it, I tried to kill him. I failed."

"Did you ever find him again?"

"No." Ichigo looked at her, that stupid, sad frown still on her face. Eh, what the hell. If he gave her some training, then it would only give her a better chance of survival. "I'll teach you."

"You- you will?" Kagura stuttered slightly, but it didn't quite mask the rising joy in her voice.

Ichigo sighed. "What the hell do you think I just said?"

* * *

><p><em>A day later<em>

The Cult of Zeref was a group of wizards and mages who worshiped the Dark Wizard. Zeref was their god, and their idol, and for him, they would have done anything. Of course, a little fact like him being dead wasn't going to stop them and their zealous frenzy. If they had to, they would _defy_ death, they would push against it to bring back the dark god they coveted.

To do that, they needed magic. They needed a _lot_ of magic, and a tool to channel it through. That tool, of course, was the Tower of Heaven, a massive stone-metal construct that reached into the sky and through the clouds. Or at least, it _would._

You see, the tower wasn't quite built yet; indeed, not even the resources needed for such a project had been laid out, and doing even that much would take some time. They would need wood, stone, metal, tools, and above all, labor.

The first four would be easy to obtain. The last thing on the list... Not so much.

To remedy that need, they had chosen dozens upon dozens of tantalizing towns and villages, all of which had been analyzed and triple-checked. Towns as large as Magnolia, to towns as small as Clover. All had been chosen for three reasons: Their security, their size, and of course, their population. As a result of careful planning and deliberation, the Cult had reached it's slave quota.

But, there was still a problem.

Cult agents had recently stopped by a tiny village by the name of Rosemary, presumably to resupply after a long day of scouting. On their way in, they had been shaken down by a guard, stripped of their weapons, and allowed to pass. Of course, all of this was normal procedure for them. Except, well, that guard was a fifteen year old boy.

A fifteen year old boy with incredible magical potential.

While the boy himself might not know it, his body was already saturated with power, and his ability to channel that power was beyond anything known to them. Of course, it would be some time before that potential would become actual strength, but when it happened, he'd be strong.

_Very_ strong.

All of this set this boy up to be a royal pain in the ass, both for the present and the future. The solution was simple: Raid the town with a massive invasion force, take prisoners, and assassinate the boy. He was of no use as a captive; Ichigo, whose last name was unknown, would prove to be both stubborn and unassailable. A clean kill was preferable.

Oh yes, Rosemary Village would burn alright, and it was ironic that the town's best defender would be the one to cause that burning. Zeref would be brought back at all costs, and if a few dozen men had to die, then it was a suitable price to pay.

A cloaked mage looked to the beginnings of the tower, the strong stone-metal foundation that would support the weight of the entire construct. Oh yes, it would be glorious indeed. The mage, code-named "Spider" slipped a thin, decorative, ebony knife into a sheathe that was hidden just under his cloak. He grabbed a black-red orb, one that was completely opaque and lifeless, and put it into a satchel.

Among the... more noticeable pieces of his armaments was a fairly bulky sniper rifle that was based primarily on magic. Well, technically they _were_ ballistic bullets, but they happened to be coated in magic energy. It wasn't confusing, really, just really annoying. That particular weapon was placed in a large, conspicuous metal case. The mage also took it's companion, an old-fashioned revolver and shoved that into a holster.

And there was his superior, the one to give him his orders, walking down the hall.

"You'll be the advance unit. If you fail in killing Ichigo, then the army should be a day behind you. Of course, he'll have killed you by then, but the forty-something group of soldiers will be more than enough to leave Ichigo broken and dead. If you do kill him, bring back word to the main force, and we'll pull back." The man said, his lips barely moving with his words.

"Understood, sir."

"I'm glad to hear that. Rosemary is still a couple weeks of travel, and the target isn't moving anywhere. Take your time and arrive at full strength, you'll likely need it."

"Is he really that strong, sir?"

The man, whose hood hid all noticeable features, nodded. "He doesn't know much of magic yet, but he is extremely skilled with that knife of his. It's not just for show, either, so be extremely careful when you're fighting him. He's only used it to knock people out thus far; I shudder to think of it's potential as an active killing weapon. Oh, and he's fast too, so be careful."

"Very well."

"Get going now, you have a threat to extinguish. The faster he's brought down, the better.

Wordlessly, Spider began his journey. He grabbed a cloth satchel and the metal case that held his rifle, and set out.

This was the beginning of the end for a certain teenager.

* * *

><p><em>Same time<em>

Swordsmanship was an art, honed and perfected over the years by generations of warriors, who all passed on trade secrets to the newer and stronger generations, as was the way of life. Like all art forms, there were various styles, techniques, and stances associated with it. Ichigo, however, shattered that as soon as he received his zanpakuto.

He fought without a style, relying on brute instinct and raw talent to pull him through his battles. Sometimes he didn't get the edge-alignment right when he swung his blade, sometimes he forgot to sharpen it, and sometimes his stances left his defenses less than stellar. But, he had survived just about four years of open warfare, so that had to mean something.

Kagura, however, had both a style and a preferred stance. It was a simple combat stance, meant for both beginners and one-handed swordsmen, known as The Duelist. While her motions was decent and her strikes were accurate, she lacked power. She lacked killing intent. Her moves were both too conventional and too predictable, meaning that were she to engage in an actual battle, she would be eviscerated in three seconds flat. Of course, like the good teacher he was, he told her that with extreme bluntness.

"Your attacks are weak and you're too damned slow. If you were really fighting someone, you'd be killed, gutted, and butchered in five seconds."

Kagura didn't break her concentration, but she did speed up her attacks. Of course, Ichigo had a comment for that too:

"Now you're too sloppy. Try again."

A vein popped out from her forehead as frustration loomed it's head. Still, she remained stoic, and kept practicing. To think that he could be _this_ irritating, even when they hadn't officially started training.

"Kagura. First it's your speed, then it's your defense, and now it's your stance. _Get. It. Right._" Ichigo wasn't a born teacher; he was probably the farthest thing from that. But really, how had was it to do a basic attack?

A dangerous amount of fury reflected from her eyes, and she was starting to break her focus, but she still remained silent. Of course, even Ichigo knew that all it would take was one more off-hand comment to send her over the edge.

_"She's about to snap, King! Lay on some more insults!"_

"Kagura-" He was firmly and harshly interrupted.

"Shut the hell up! If I'm doing something wrong, then show me how to do it, don't comment on it like a smart-ass prick!"

Ichigo smiled. _There_ was the emotion he was looking for. "Alright, enough fooling around." His tone went dangerously low. "Get ready."

The former Shinigami shot forward like a bullet, his feet leaving deep indents in the earthen ground, and made a mad rush for Kagura. Before she could even feel confused, he had slammed Zangetsu's hilt into her gut. The girl was thrown back like a rag-doll before she slammed into the ground.

"Wh-what are you doing?!" She shouted.

"Training you the same way I was." He raised Zangetsu. "Get up."

Despite some rather dangerous curses exiting her mouth, she did as he asked and got to her feet. Her katana was still sheathed, but she grabbed it anyway. She readied her stance; her blade held forward, at a slight angle, and her free hand placed behind her back.

"I _will_ beat you, Sensei."

Ichigo raised his eyebrow at the new title, but otherwise said nothing.

Well, mostly nothing. "Don't count on it."

Ichigo rushed ahead once more, Zangetsu already in flight, and converged on the girl. Before she could parry his attack, he looped around and got behind her back. With a vicious grin, he slammed his foot into the small of her back, nearly throwing her to the ground once more. To Ichigo's mild surprise, however, she merely stumbled forward before launching a vicious offensive.

Ichigo grinned. Teaching had never been quite this fun before.

"You better have some goddamn strength in those hits of yours, Kagura. If you're not serious, if you're not using every ounce of power you've got..."

Ichigo continued. "I'll kill you."

* * *

><p><strong>AN**

**So yeah, this was mostly just filler so I could develop the emotions and relationships between the protagonists. Not much to say, so, onto the reviews!**

**Girl Fish-** Hmm, Ichigo's power level is a rather difficult subject for me. Honestly, if I were to answer truthfully, I don't know. Planning isn't for me, and it never has been, so I really don't know. As a rough estimate, however, I'd say maybe half the strength he has by the start of the Blood War arc.

No bashing... I hate bashing so damned much. If you have a beef with a character, don't put in a fic, dammit! It ruins the story and can create some severe out-of-characterness. As an AU, I will not rehash any of the canon plot, some elements will remain, but it's a different story. Perhaps I should call this an Alternate Timeline instead...? And yes, since I love the Fairy Tail guild and all it's dynamics, they will hold a place in the story. Requip will probably still be a thing, but hey, I did say probably.

**Guy345- **Thanks for the praise! It really does mean a lot to me. I hope you stay tuned, and if you see anything wrong, don't hesitate to point it out.

**Matsuki Sakata- **I'm glad you liked the prologue. About Ichigo's power, I don't know, sorry. I'd guess roughly half the strength he had during the Blood War arc, at his peak, but I honestly don't have an idea in my head. Stay tuned!


	4. Gaining Strength

**A/N**

**For anyone who was surprised about Kagura's weird age thing, that is entirely my fault. I took info from the wiki, but I forgot about that seven-year time skip that messed everything up. So, I accidentally made Kagura about four years older than Erza, rather than four years younger, as she should be.**

**Whatever, I'm not changing it back, for several reasons:**

**A fifteen year old Kagura is more useful as a character. I can use her in action scenes, I can develop her as a character more effectively, and I can involve her more in the plot. My writing abilities when it comes to children is... abysmal at best, so Erza is really taking a back seat because of her age.**

**Just know that I hate children, despite the fact that I'm fourteen. Yes, I'm a hypocrite; get over it.**

**Onto the show!**

* * *

><p>Ichigo was dead tired. That was the simple truth of things; he couldn't move or stand, and even his breathing was slow and weak. Perhaps taking on a disciple wasn't quite as smart of an idea as he thought, especially when he spent just under fourteen hours a day training. That alone should have killed him by now, but for some reason, he hadn't died then.<p>

Now he _wished_ he was dead, if only because this had happened to him so many times by now. Normally, training someone for a couple hours a day wouldn't be hard, but Kagura had _tons_ of stamina. Almost as much as he did, in fact, and every hour spent was nothing but grueling work. It was as if she was a masochist, and _enjoyed_ being beaten to hell day in and day out. That was all well and dandy, but when Ichigo woke up every single day feeling agonized, it was hard to feel proud of his student.

Then there was the fact that he still had his tri-daily patrols to handle, as well as a rigorous training regiment he had started _for himself._ Really, his body should have collapsed and died by now, or his heart should have stopped, or _something_. But he hadn't died, and whatever cruel gods that lived up there just wouldn't let him keel over.

"You're thinking aloud again, Ichigo." Oh, that was Erza, wasn't it? "And if the training is making you this tired, maybe you could just stop training. That's what a smart person would do."

Ichigo didn't turn his head or get up, but he spoke anyway. "No, I need to be strong. If I'm not strong enough, I might not be able to protect this town."

"But if you're always so exhausted, all your training won't mean anything and you'll just collapse if you get into a fight. Just relax for a few hours a day, cut back your training regiment, and I'm sure it'll be much more effective." Had Erza gotten smarter in the last week Ichigo had seen her?

"I... you're right. I'll try."

She looked at him incredulously. "You'll _try_ to relax? How hard is it to lay back and watch a play? Do you have to _try_ to take a nap?"

"Okay, you can cut the sarcasm."

"Nope! I won't stop until you become less uptight."

"You've got a long life ahead of you." Ichigo remarked.

Erza merely grinned. "Maybe not, Ichigo! You're already making progress." Her voice went just a little bit lower. "Why _are_ you always so emotionless around everyone? The only people you ever really talk to are Kagura and me."

Ichigo laughed. It was a stilted, weak, very odd-sounding laugh, but it was what it was. Maybe his mental state wasn't quite as far-gone as he seemed to think it was.

"You two remind me of my sisters. You're like Yuzu, always so shy and innocent, and Kagura's a lot like Karin, ambitious and strong."

"I'm not shy!"

Ichigo's grin faded, mostly for no reason whatsoever. "Okay, is childish a better word?"

"I'm not that either. I think adorable fits better."

"Whatever you say, Erza." Ichigo fell silent for a moment, before jumping to his feet, exhaustion be damned. "Come on, let's go get something to eat."

Erza raised an eyebrow, but didn't protest. At least, not directly. "A fifteen year old boy and an eleven year old girl, getting dinner together. What if the adults look at you funny?"

Ichigo rolled his eyes; an action that seemed very out of place for a face as serious as his. "Do I look like I care?"

Giggling childishly, she conceded the point. "You got it, Ichi~go!"

Ichigo set a quick pace, despite the heaviness in his legs, and carved a path right for the market. Sure, Rosemary wasn't the magnum opus of everything culinary, but there was one baker that made the best strawberry cheesecake. Oh, and the bread wasn't half bad either.

_"Ichigo, the only food you ever seem to eat is bread. Most people would get sick of it, but for some reason, you only eat more of it." _Zangetsu, after a relatively long period of silence, made his voice heard.

_"Whatever, Zangetsu. It's the cheapest thing they have, so I might as well enjoy it."_

"Hey Ichigo, what were you thinking of buying?"

"Eh, probably a loaf of bread."

Erza frowned. "That's all you ever eat! Bread, bread, bread, I never see you with anything else. You know, if you came over to my house, my mom and I could feed you some _real_ food."

Ichigo raised an eyebrow. "How do you know I only eat bread? Have you been stalking me?"

Her frown shifted to a mischievous grin. "Well, I wouldn't call it stalking per se. I prefer the term Undercover Espionage."

"So... you _are_ stalking me. Great example you're setting for the kids, Erza."

"What kids? There're only eighty people in this whole village, and only ten of them are kids!" Her voice was both defensive and loud.

"And your point is...?"

Erza didn't quite get a chance to defend herself, as they had arrived at the market square just a moment later. Ichigo walked up to the baker's stand and paid for two meals; a couple slices of cheesecake for Erza, and a loaf of bread for himself. After handing over some money, he found a table, which was actually just a re-purposed merchant's stall, and set down two wooden, probably hand-carved plates, and motioned for Erza to sit down.

"How did you know I like cheesecake?" She eyed the two slices suspiciously, as if they were poisoned or something.

"I guessed." He admitted.

Erza averted her gaze to the soft loaf of bread he had bought for himself. "More of that stuff? If you don't eat anything else, you'll get fat."

Ichigo eyed her dubiously. "If you've been performing your 'Undercover Espionage' as well as you think you have, shouldn't you know that I spend most of my day running?"

She grumbled something venomous before sinking into her own meal. The cake was both sweet and tangy, with a vibrant taste that reflected years of experience on the baker's part... and when had Erza became a critic? What the hell, she didn't have to analyze the food extensively to know it tasted good.

Of course, her temporary bliss was shattered by the socially aloof teenager sitting in front of her.

"So, Erza, have you ever had to beat anyone down to a bloody pulp?"

Erza sputtered violently. "What kinda question is that!?"

"Just asking. You're pretty, and you're strong, so I was wondering if you've ever had to hit anyone because they asked you out or something." Somehow, he said all this with an even tone and a straight face.

"No, I've never had to 'beat anyone down to a bloody pulp', I actually have a conscience." For emphasis, she crossed her arms and averted her head with a pretentious "hmph."

"Aw, just because I've had to hurt people, you imply that I have no conscience?" Ichigo paused to devour the last of his bread. "That hits below the belt, Erza, it really does." Sarcasm was dripping off his voice as he spoke.

"Whatever." She said with a roll of her eyes. "Why do you even have to fight people? Couldn't you just... Ask them to leave, or something?"

"Life isn't always so black and white, Erza, and it isn't that easy either. If you can find a way to take care of a problem without hurting someone, then that's great. If you can't, and you aren't strong enough to stop it with your fists, your friends can get hurt. I train and I fight so I can protect this town when sweet words and intimidating clothes can't."

"So is it really that important? Strength?"

"No. Being strong isn't everything, but you need to be able to protect and fight back when the time comes for it."

How had such a lighthearted conversation turned to... this?

"Who taught you all of this? And why did you need to know it when you're so young?"

Ichigo smiled wistfully. "That, my young friend, is a story for another time. I hope you enjoyed the meal, I need to get back home."

Erza scoffed. "You sleep in a tree, Ichigo, that's not home."

"It's home enough for me." He began to walk off, but Erza was quick to grab his arm.

"You know, my offer still stands. I'm sure my mom wouldn't mind if you came over for dinner sometime."

The boy only laughed. "I'm a bit too old to get asked out by an eleven year old, sorry, Erza." To add emphasis, he patted her head. "I should get going soon."

"Whatever. Don't sleep in that tree; it's dangerous!"

"Ichigo was already walking off. "The day you tell me what to do is the day pigs fly." He called over his shoulder.

Erza was just confused; the scientists had added wings to pigs four years ago.

* * *

><p><em>2 days later<em>

"You suck at this, Sensei." Kagura repeated for the umpteenth time as Ichigo tried and failed to grasp even the basics of Gravity Magic.

He held his tongue, despite the desperate need to say something acidic, but deigned to give her the beating of a lifetime the next training session instead.

"Try to concentrate more, and make sure you channel your magic energy to your hand."

Magic energy, from Kagura's description, was a lot like reiryoku. With that in mind, was it really so surprising that he had so much trouble getting it down? It had took him about two or three months to learn to keep his reiatsu in check, and much longer to finally be able to expand his control over to reishi. In fact, he never seemed to learn much of anything unless he was in danger.

Ichigo growled subconsciously as he failed to force the magic to his hands. This was terrible. At least when he had been doing reiatsu training, he could feel the stuff. Here, he couldn't even have that much. Whatever this Magic energy was, he certainly didn't feel it.

"Hey, Kagura."

"What is it, Sensei?"

"Why don't we just go back to sparring, eh?"

She smiled, somewhat wistfully. "Hell no. Remember that time you made me stay out all night because you wanted me to learn that stance and get it right? When I got home, my dad yelled at me for an hour because I stayed up so late and got bruised so badly, but he _praised_ _you_ for being so hard on me. You aren't going to do anything else until you get this right."

"You're a horrible person, Kagura."

Her smile widened into a grin. "I know that, Ichigo-sensei." She looked to the village for a moment. "Now shut up and get to work."

Ichigo did as he was told and squeezed his eyes shut in a vague attempt at drawing into his power. When he had learned to control his own power, he had been told to imagine a river, or a lake. That lake would represent his power, and his goal had been to dam up that lake, or even draw water from it. Here, however, such a strategy was completely in vain.

"This is pointless, Kagura."

"Shut your mouth, Ichigo-sensei."

_"King, you suck at this."_

_"Kagura's already said that, Hollow. Shut. Up."_ Ichigo shot back. His frustration was mounting, and it really wasn't helping his concentration all that much. Really, did he even need magic? He had gotten by just fine without it, so couldn't he just-

"You should stop thinking aloud, Sensei. It's really annoying."

Ichigo looked over, and saw that Kagura was idly thumbing through a novel. Ichigo thought he at least had a vague understanding of how she had felt when he had criticized her swordplay. That feeling being raw anger and the need to strangle something. Namely the person who was training you.

Finally, he stood up and stopped trying entirely. "I have a patrol to get to, Kagura, see you later."

She scowled. "Get back here, Ichigo-sensei. My dad is handling all your patrols and I can always hold you down with Gravity Magic if you think of running away. You're going to keep trying until you get it down." Kagura sounded extremely stern, much like a teacher admonishing a child.

"Then find a different goddamn strategy. This isn't working."

Kagura grinned. "Alright, give me your knife."

"His name is Zangetsu."

She rolled her eyes. "Fine, then give me _Zangetsu._" Ichigo complied, tossing the giant black trench knife her way. Kagura caught it deftly with both hands and threw it onto the ground. The girl approached Ichigo, a coil of rope in her hand. "Are you right or left-handed?"

"Uh, why does it matter?"

Kagura frowned. "Just answer the damn question!"

"Right."

Kagura grabbed his right arm, twisted it behind his back, and wrapped the rope coil around it. She took the rope end and tied it around his neck, effectively binding his arm behind him.

"How is this supposed to train me?" Ichigo asked suspiciously.

"I know I could never take you one-on-one in a fair fight, so I'm tying one arm behind your back and taking away your weapon. If you really learn better when you're in danger, then this should help. Oh, and if you don't learn Gravity Magic by the end of the day, I'm breaking both your arms." It was amazing and terrifying that she said all this with a cheery voice. Ichigo blanched noticeably; he was sure she wasn't kidding.

Without a warning, she charged forward. Her katana was still sheathed, but Ichigo knew that it could hurt like a _bitch, _especially when the girl was aiming to kill.

She arced her blade downward in a vicious swing, one that Ichigo _barely_ managed to sidestep. She followed up with another thrust of her sheathed blade, and another, and _another_, until Ichigo was just barely moving fast enough to dodge the attacks. Finally, she grew tired of the exchange and slashed downward with a strong one-handed swing.

Ichigo brought up his left hand to block the attack, but the impact was both tremendous and _extremely_ painful. He let loose a groan of pain, but was otherwise unaffected as he jumped back. He idly shook his arm, as if to will away the pain.

"You've definitely gotten stronger, Kagura."

"Why thank you, Ichigo-sensei." She replied with almost disturbing cordiality as she burst forward.

Ichigo was beginning to regret ever complaining about training in the first place, but he left his concerns unvoiced as he met her assault. He shot his left hand forward in a vicious slug, one that was likely to knock a few teeth out, but Kagura was quick to unfurl her unused left hand and catch his arm. She pulled him closer and slammed her katana into his stomach, knocking ever last breath of wind from his lungs, but not dropping him.

_Yet._

Ichigo leaped back and readied a one-hand defensive stance, ready to dig in and hold back any attack she had in store for him. Kagura was quick to go on the offensive; she had already leaped forward by the time Ichigo brought his arm up.

She was in front of Ichigo in just a second, but she didn't land a hit; Ichigo had stepped behind her without even a moment of hesitation. He slammed his left elbow into her back, launching her forward and off her feet. Kagura recovered in mid air and landed on her feet, but her pained expression and heavy panting was indicative of her weakened state.

"It's clear this isn't working like I thought it would." She remarked casually as she stepped over to Zangetsu. She picked up the black blade, but immediately struggled. "Why the hell is it so heavy?!"

"Yeah, Zangetsu weighs at least ten pounds, I think, way more than even an average great-sword, but I'm used to it."

"How do you even use it at all? Let alone swing it around like a feather."

"Hey, I used to have a great-sword that was about three times as heavy to go with it, and I still used that one-handed." Ichigo remarked. Kagura only looked at him dubiously before reaffirming her grip on the black blade.

"Whatever you say, Ichigo-sensei. I'm going to hurt you, badly." She looked at the sky; the sun was already on the downward descent, towards night. "Only a few hours, Sensei, and if you can't master Gravity Magic by then, kiss your arms goodbye."

"I thought you said you would only break them!"

"I think I'll cut them off instead." Ichigo paled. Somehow, this sadistic side of her had been hidden to him by a very sweet, if distant persona.

She charged forward, both blades in flight, and carved a path directly for him. Zangetsu was like a black bullet, unseen as anything but a blur, and the sheathed katana was equally as fast. Zangetsu, in all his blunted glory, slammed into Ichigo's gut, while the katana did the same to his skull, throwing him back at least a couple meters.

"Damn! I think you gave me a concussion with that one." He muttered while he got to his feet.

Wordlessly, she rushed ahead once more, eager to push the offensive and force him down. Well, Ichigo supposed it was a bit too late to take revenge on her the next training session; he'd be either to beaten by the end of this, or wouldn't have any arms to do it with.

_"Don't try to defeat her, Ichigo. You need to learn how to perform Magic, not how to fight unarmed and one-handed."_ Zangetsu called to him through the depths of his head, obviously not suffering from the head-blow Ichigo had just received. Otherwise he wouldn't have sounded cool and logical.

"Oh shut your mouth, you overgrown piece of junk." Ichigo shot back, not quite in the mood for a lecture.

_"I am more than just a blade-"_

"Shut. Up."

Kagura gave him a strange look, before turning her eyes to the dagger in her left. "Are you... talking to your knife? Again? While I'm holding it?"

"Yes." Was his singular response before he began running directly for her.

Huh. _He_ was on the offensive, and not her. Well, it wasn't quite what Kagura expected, but she would deal with it. One sword slash at a time.

He launched himself forward, throwing a heavy-handed left punch that practically _flew_ for her face. Kagura, however, moved to swat the hand aside with Zangetsu, but she never expected his hand to pull back, and for him to throw all that momentum into a vicious kick. He slammed the heel of his foot into her midsection, knocking the air from her lungs. She didn't quite go down yet, though, and her recovery was surprisingly fast.

Kagura stumbled for a moment, but her footing was quickly reaffirmed before she threw herself at Ichigo, dual blades arcing and dancing with deadly grace. Something crashed into Ichigo's jaw, and something else was thrust into his chest. Hard. They were only the start of a deadly flurry of attacks that wouldn't quite relent, not for awhile.

Agony, this was literal agony. His body was almost burning from the sheer intensity of it all, from each and every attack that landed. Nothing felt broken- yet- but that wasn't saying much when literally every single part of him was battered half-to-death.

Ichigo leaped back, barely dodging another swing, and panted heavily. Kagura seemed relatively unfazed, and while his own injuries were expected- he _was_ disarmed and literally had an arm behind his back- he didn't quite feel all right with himself. He had been beaten down by enemies before, but those enemies had never been fifteen year old girls.

"Mind those left swings, Kagura, they're a bit clumsy and slow, and you need to stop trying to push your arm forward to compensate for Zangetsu's lack of range. The _daisho_ style utilizes the shorter blade for defense, and the longer one for offense. Trying to use both will likely get your arm chopped off in a real fight."

Kagura was momentarily stunned. "You're head is bleeding and you've been hit two dozen times... and you're lecturing me? You're something else, Ichigo-sensei."

"I know, I know. Keep telling me how great I am." Ichigo remarked sarcastically as he began another forward charge.

_"Find this 'Magic energy' Ichigo, do not focus on defeating her."_

_ "Yeah, King, you're approaching this like an idiot!"_ Hollow agreed.

Ichigo growled, but did not otherwise break his silence as he closed the distance between Kagura and him. This was a hopeless battle for him, but it wouldn't be acceptable if he simply laid back and accepted whatever punishment Kagura had in mind for him. If he was going down, he'd make it both painful and difficult for her.

The determination, the desire and will to win, that was what shaped the next few moments.

His speed doubled as he ran, and then oddly enough, it tripled. His strength was running high and his spirits had never felt lighter; had he managed it? Had he finally managed to tap into whatever magic reserves he had?

Like a literal supersonic train, he crashed into his student and flung her across the earthen ground like a rag-doll. She crashed and skidded along the ground several times, easily clearing the forty-meter radius of the field, before sliding to a stop. Ouch, that had to hurt.

"Oi, you still alive over there, Kagura?"

She groaned. "Just barely, I think." Kagura called back, her voice obviously strained.

Ichigo walked over to the rapidly clearing dust cloud, and she was at the bottom of it, obviously injured extremely badly. Well, injured badly in terms of survivable; she'd be just fine, as long as she didn't mind moving for a week or three. Ichigo grabbed her katana and unsheathed it, before deftly slashing away the rope coil that bound his right hand.

He sheathed the blade and slung it over his back, took Zangetsu and sheathed it as well, before grabbing Kagura and supporting her weight against him. He laid her down against the wall of a shack, almost gingerly.

"That hurt, a lot. Was that Speed Magic?" Kagura asked, obviously on the verge of passing out.

"Don't know."

"Does that mean you won? I think it does, I don't want to keep on fighting... I don't think I _can_ keep on fighting." She groaned in pain, before finally slumping into unconsciousness.

_You did a good job, Kagura._ He thought before slinging the girl over his shoulders, just as he had her katana.

Eh, might as well carry her home and let her sleep there.

It was the right thing to do.

* * *

><p><em>Later that evening.<em>

Erza had no idea why Ichigo had asked her about Speed Magic, or why he looked so injured. She didn't exactly know how he had gotten so hurt, but she did know he was in a half-delirious daze because of it. Either he had caught something bad, or his injuries had left him half-insane, because he was feverishly talking to thin air. Sometimes he spoke foreign terms, like _reiatsu_ or _reishi_, and sometimes he gave the invisible things he talked to names. Zangetsu was the only name she recognized.

Sometimes he talked about people that weren't there, like this Rukia girl or some guy named Ishida. Whatever had happened to him had obviously had a lasting impact. All she knew was that he and Kagura had been training, and then he'd carried her back home because she'd passed out from her injuries. Then, just moments after bringing Kagura back to her house, _he_ collapsed right on their doorstep.

Erza had just _happened_ to pass by, and now here she was, sitting beside his cot in the doctor's office, and listening to him rant and rave.

"She was probably the smartest person in the whole group... and a damn good healer too. Orihime was a great person..." Ichigo's eyes were closed and he seemed to be sleeping, just... having a bad nightmare, or something. "It was the Cannon that got her... just like everyone else..."

Erza felt like speaking up, but she remained silent. Whatever Ichigo was saying, it was definitely linked to his past. Perhaps he was reliving that past in his head? Or maybe he was trying to keep it from fading from his head, trying to remind himself. Whatever the case may be, it was definitely disconcerting to hear the deaths of so many people, real or no.

"Ukitake always had something nice to say, always had a kind word for Rukia and me... but then we ran into Äs Nödt, though, and he killed him... just like that. Shunsui didn't stop crying for a week..." Ichigo's voice wavered constantly, sometimes his volume was almost a shout, and sometimes it was so quiet that Erza had to lean in to hear properly.

"Ichigo. Just _how_ terrible is your past?" She asked herself as she sat by his cot.

"I miss them, Zangetsu. I miss all of them... don't ever make me forget them, not their names, not their faces... remind me every day if you have to..." Ichigo's body thrashed violently. "I don't want to forget..."

His eyes snapped open, alight with a feverish light. He gripped the cot with enough strength to whiten his knuckles and bend the metal frame slightly, and his gaze skipped from place to place.

"Ichigo. What were you talking about?"

He looked at her peculiarly, obviously confused. "What?"

_He doesn't remember?_ She thought. "Never mind."

"Hey, Erza, what happened? After the training with Kagura?"

She paused, unsure of whether or not to tell him about all he had said. "You took her back to her house so she could sleep properly, you talked with Mr. Mikazuchi for a couple minutes, and then you passed out on the front doorstep just after he closed the door. I happened to pass by and saw you there, so I brought you back to the doctor's office." She decided not to tell him about his feverish outburst, because that was likely what it was. Just some made up scenario in his head.

_You know it isn't, Erza._ A little part of her, a voice in her head, corrected her.

"Happened to pass by, huh? Well I guess your 'Undercover Espionage' is still as good as usual." Ichigo chuckled, weakly, sure, but at least he was emoting.

She couldn't bring herself to laugh, or to smile, or anything. While his injuries were non-lethal, there were far too many of them for her to not pay attention.

_That's not what you're worried about, Erza._ That voice repeated, just as non-helpful as ever.

"Why'd you just... collapse?"

The boy shrugged. "Just exhaustion, I guess."

Erza gave him a deadpan expression. "You didn't get any sleep the night before." Not a question, a statement. "I thought I told you to relax!"

"Yeah, I guess I kinda... forgot."

"How do you _forget_?! It's as easy as taking a nap. I'm worried about you, y'know?"

Ichigo rolled his eyes. "Jeez, you're just like Yuzu. I'm alright, you don't need to worry. Besides, taking a nap is _hard_."

"_How_? Close your eyes and sleep." She looked and sounded incredulous. "Are you insane? You do nothing but train for hours, and you only ever talk to two people in this whole village. You have to be insane." Erza wasn't quite sure where all her courage came from; she would have never said anything like this even a year ago. Perhaps Ichigo's overly abrasive (at least when dealing with Kagura or threats to the village) nature had rubbed off on her.

"I have insomnia." He stated bluntly. It wasn't untrue either; after they had left the Seireitei's blast shelter, he had suffered through many sleepless nights just to watch over what few friends he had left. A lack of sleep became the norm for him, and it eventually became an effort to sleep more than three hours a night.

"Then maybe sleeping in a _real_ bed will help with that. Come on, you're going to my house, you'll have an actual meal, and then you'll sleep in the guestroom. If you say no, I'll make Kagura smack you with her sword until you say yes."

_"Ooh, I like the aggressive ones, King! Can we keep her? Please?!" _Hollow chanted deliriously in Ichigo's head, nearly driving the boy insane.

_ "She's eleven!"_

_ "Love knows no age, King."_

_ "Shut it, you pedophile."_

"Fine. When are we going?" A thought dawned on Ichigo's face. "Don't you have chores to deal with?"

"Eh, Mom doesn't need to know. Oh, and we're leaving right now. Get up."

To Ichigo's mild surprise, the doctor hadn't removed his shihakusho to check his body or anything. It might have had to do with the fact that the garment weighed a figurative ton- a formal weighing on a scale he found revealed it to be just over forty pounds- and it was extremely tough. Why this was, Ichigo didn't know, but it seemed that pretty everything from his dimension was heavier than it was here. His own body included. Of course, none of that extra weight really affected him; he had gotten used to it, and training in the heavy garment had definitely improved his physical strength.

Ichigo's walk was a bit more clumsy and a lot more tired than usual, but it still got him from point A to point B just fine. His stride was shorter and he stumbled a bit more, and sometimes he ambled off his path aimlessly, but it was by no means a drunk-walk or the dead-tired stumble he adopted late into the evening sometimes.

"Hey, Ichigo?"

"What?"

"What was your old family like?" Erza asked innocently.

Ichigo hesitated, but he didn't freeze up. "They were... nice. My dad was insane; he always woke me up with a punch in the face or a knee to the gut. He was good with my sisters... but not always as good with me. I didn't mind though, he was an... alright person. Yuzu was a lot like you; kind, smart, pretty, strong in her own way, and always worrying over the family. After... well, after mom died, she took over for all the housework." Ichigo stopped for a moment, looking off somewhere else.

"Karin wasn't the closest sister, but she was great at soccer and loved us in her own special way. I did a lot for her, I signed her up for soccer, I took down the bullies who picked on her- well, at least until she learned how to pummel them herself- and while she didn't do much for me, I didn't care. She was a good person, and she made sure to take care of Yuzu. That's all I really cared about..."

Erza didn't mention that he referred to them all in the past tense, nor did she mention how he didn't bring up his mother. The inference was both easily made and saddening in it's own way. She remained mostly silent for most of the trip, until they came to her door.

She knocked on the door without anything even _resembling _grace or delicacy. "Hey, Mom, I'm home!" Erza called.

"Coming!" Her mother would call back.

Miss, who had no last name, just like Ichigo, didn't seem all that surprised or angry to see Ichigo. With a casual smile and an exchange of greetings, she simply exclaimed. "About time. Welcome home, Ichigo." She had said this with the sort of casual greeting one gave a relative.

So this was what it was like to have a mother again? After all this time?

It should have been heartbreaking for Ichigo, to see all those memories come pouring back in. He simply steeled himself and fought with every single breath not to be reminded of Masaki.

It wasn't an easy fight.

* * *

><p>Rosemary Village was still two weeks away, and the news Spider had received via lacrima wasn't heartening. In the short time Ichigo had been given free leave to do as he pleased, he had seemed to tap into the basics of Speed Magic. As if that wasn't enough, the informants had told him that he was training a student, one who's base strength was already extremely high.<p>

So in addition to the purging of one threat, Spider had two to contend with. Oh well, he was given a fully blown sniper rifle and a two sharp knives. He'd kill them, and he was sure it would only elevate him in the eyes of Zeref once the dark Wizard was brought back. That same lacrima that had bore so much bad news also told him that the raiding party- about forty strong- was a day behind him, right on schedule.

Oh, but how good it would feel to blow away their little heads. How great it would feel to pierce their hearts with his blade, to feel the flesh giving way and the warm blood splattering all over his clothing. Spider was never one to let allies do the work. He would kill these two himself, and he would enjoy every single second of it.

A voice rang through his head and shattered his fantasies.

Goddamn telepathy.

_"Spider, is there anything to report?"_

_ "Ichigo has gotten stronger, and has taken on a disciple. He's a bigger threat than we thought he was."_

The voice on the other end began to sound just a bit more sinister. _"We need him dead, and only him. If you fail in killing him, the second wave will move in. If they fail, then he'll be on high alert. We'll send in a sweeper squad to deal with him even if the second wave is held off. That should be good enough."_

Spider gave a crisp salute, despite the fact that no one was there to see him. _"I understand, sir. What if I kill him on my own?"_

The answer was without hesitation. _"We talked about it earlier. Fall back and tell the main raiding party, then they'll fall back. We need slaves, but to risk an entire party of men for a paltry village is pointless."_

_ "Understood. I'm on the way."_

_ "Glad to hear it. Keep us posted."_

Spider set along his merry path once more, that long metal case still slung over his back and that satchel still at his side. Inside this satchel was the dull black orb he had grabbed earlier; a weapon of unknown origin and unknown parameters. It was a form of holder magic, from what it seemed, but the shape and form it took was heavily dependent on the user.

An odd weapon that would no doubt prove useful to him.

So it seemed that the stakes were higher. The Cult of Zeref was meticulous in eliminating threats, and would be for a long time. Taking down Ichigo and the as-of-yet unknown girl was only the beginning. Next up was a very young fire mage, one who seemed to be a dragon slayer. Eliminating him was only the smart idea to take, because a fire mage could be a royal pain in the ass if left unchecked.

After that, though, there weren't really any other problems to contend with. Perhaps Fairy Tail as a whole would need to be destroyed, perhaps in a mass-bombing, but that was a problem for another day. They wouldn't take notice for a long time, and they were content to take care of jobs instead of any major threats, so they could be left on their own.

Really, the leader seemed to be rather ignorant, noticing only individuals and ignoring full fledged groups that could pose a problem. It was rather stupid in Spider's opinion, but no had ever asked what he thought.

He didn't care though, as long as there was someone to kill and a cause to serve, he wouldn't question his orders.

It was a shame that there wouldn't be any targets after Ichigo, his disciple, and Natsu Dragneel. Those three were really the whole list, and no one came after.

How boring.

* * *

><p><strong>AN**

**Speed is more Ichigo's forte than Gravity Change, anyway. Although since mobility in general seems to be Ichigo's strength, I wouldn't put it past him if he tried to master both. Oh yeah, and someone brought up a Kagura-Ichigo romance earlier, (Dave the Colossus) and while I have no definite plans for that, it is interesting.**

**Onto the reviews!**

* * *

><p><strong>Girl Fish<strong>- Jeez, you're just full of questions, aren't you?

Dunno about who she'll meet first, and I guess you're talking about the people of Fairy Tail. Who she'll meet first is beyond me, and I have no plans for the future.

I can't give you an exact number, but know that I want to give Rosemary Village it's own mini-arc. So... two or three chapters...?

Correct-o. Lucy isn't gonna be in Fairy Tail for awhile, but she may still be involved in the story earlier than you expect.

Yes, Bashing is a huge pet peeve of mine, almost as much as Mary Sues and completely unrelated AUs. (Office environment, real world, etc.)

Exceeds are cool and all, but Ichigo isn't really an animal guy. So no, no animal companion. Yes, Natsu will still have Happy though.

Dunno.

And no, Ichigo wouldn't kill Kagura, but he probably would still beat her to an inch of her life. Because, hey, that's what I'd do.

**Guy345**- Huh, thanks for that. As for Ichigo's personality, I don't expect it to live long. I'm not a fan of angsty or stoic characters (Byakuya being the only exception) so give it a few more chapters before he becomes himself again. Of course, maybe not quite as... stable as before.

Six thousand words is the status quo for me. At least that, never less.

**Guest**- Uh huh. I made an error With the ages, and didn't factor the seven year timeskip in, so now Kagura is seven years older than she should be. Not changing it though.

(Assuming the two guest reviews are the same person) I never said anything about romance, but I do want Ichigo and Erza to have a fairly close relationship. A father-daughter thing could very well work.

**Matsuki Sakata**- Ichigo's powers are gone, as in, dead forever. The personalities that govern them, however, are not. I have a somewhat contrived plan for maybe re-implementing his fullbring, but I don't know for certain. Blut and such is still strictly off limits for him though; it won't ever make an appearance, that is a fact.

* * *

><p><strong>AN (p. 2)  
><strong>

**Just so you know, while the authors notes and reviews puff up my word count, the base chapter is always at least six thousand words. No exceptions.**


	5. Forging Bonds

**A/N**

**Sorry about the long wait time. School and life got in the way.**

**I should warn you now, the last part of this chapter is rather... excessive. Oh, and I have a few tiny romantic undertones in the story, but any real romance is far off.**

**That is all.**

* * *

><p>Miss was an excessively kind woman. She was the type of person to give a destitute man shelter, or perhaps feed a person just because they ran out of money for lunch. She had, in fact, offered Ichigo a bed and food at her house for the longest time, but Ichigo had turned her down time and time again.<p>

This was not borne from a feeling of pity or gratitude; she simply wanted to formally welcome him to the neighborhood, and perhaps establish a friendship of sorts. This was her singular purpose, and the sheer stubbornness she displayed in pursuing it was admirable. In fact, if Erza had inherited anything except her hair and her face from her mother, it was that inexcusable, tough-as-steel stubbornness.

Every single time Ichigo said no, she asked again, the next day or the day after, with no lapses whatsoever. And to think that it would take her _daughter_ to finally get Ichigo to relent, and not her own actions.

That led him to where he was now, lying in a bed that wasn't his own and listening to a little girl talk through a crack in a wall. A bed that was too large and too soft for him to ever feel completely secure; as if the entire thing was just too good to be true.

"Ichigo?" Erza asked, her voice muffled by the drywall.

"What?"

"Do you ever feel bored? Like there's somewhere else you should be? Do you ever want to get up and go, just... go wherever the wind takes you?" Her tone was deadly serious.

Ichigo chuckled lightly, as if making light of her words.

"What?!" Unbeknownst to Ichigo, she was now blushing ever so slightly.

"It's nothing. I actually felt the same way at your age; I think everyone does at some point."

Erza shook her head. Again, an action neither of them saw in this darkness. "No, I don't want to run away; I love my Mom, I love Rosemary Village. I just... I feel like there's more to this world than corn and wheat."

Ichigo fell silent. "I know how you feel." After a few seconds without elaboration, he continued. "I came from a small town, pretty far from here-"

_"That's one hell of an understatement!"_ Hollow interrupted, but Ichigo continued.

_ "_-it was full of good people. But, I was bored, just like you. I think I would have left on my own eventually, but I eventually got drafted into a war of sorts, and that took care of the... the wanderlust pretty well."

"A war? What happened?"

"When I got back, after a few years, everyone was dead. The entire town was bombed by whatever it was we were fighting; towards the end of that war, I think I had forgotten who or what we had been up against. I had simply cut down whatever it was that got in my way. Then I got home, and it was nothing but toxic rubble." This discussion had very rapidly fallen off course, but of course, neither parties were willing to break off the exchange.

"That's terrible. Your _entire_ town got destroyed?"

Ichigo nodded subconsciously. "We weren't the only ones, either. Most of the surrounding cities and towns also got hit, and the nuclear fallout from the ordnance wiped out pretty much every settlement south of us. That entire country went defunct, I think, and I was lucky to get out."

Erza couldn't believe that she hadn't heard of this yet. Such a massive cataclysm had to have been reported _somewhere_, but it was also true that much of Earthland was still unknown to the people of Fiore. Perhaps this had happened in a land on the other side of the world? It might explain his odd clothing and weapon design.

Ichigo continued. "Look, the point is, don't abandon your friends, don't abandon your home. I used war as an excuse to get out of there, to explore and fight. Then I realized the truth of it all. War isn't pretty, and it's downright devastating to come home and see everyone dead. You'll have to leave sometime, but remember, Rosemary Village is a part of you, just like you're a part of it. You can never say goodbye and you can never leave permanently. I hope you never forget that, Erza."

Erza remained silent for awhile as she considered his words. How could someone so young know so much? And he had said he had been in the war for a few years... did that mean he had been drafted at _twelve years old_? A horrifying thought indeed.

"How bad is your past? How terrible is it that you have to come all the way to the other side of the world just to escape it?"

Ichigo laughed bitterly. It wasn't a cheerful sound, nor was it a particularly amused noise either. It was just... a noise. "It wasn't all that bad, real-"

"I heard the names, Ichigo." Erza interrupted him. "I heard all the names you said; Rukia, Ukitake, Shunsui, Orihime. I have no idea who they are or why they're important to you, but I heard them. I know they were important to you, and I know that _they all died._ I don't care about anything you say, there isn't a chance in hell it doesn't hurt. You said it yourself, your _entire_ town got wiped out. There's no way in hell you can play it off." She fell silent. "I want to help you, but you've never told me how."

Ichigo was stunned into silence. In another time and another place, he might have wondered how this girl had come to care so quickly, but right now, he was stuck in an internal debate.

Tell her? Or not? Ichigo had no idea what kind of effect it would have if he told her the truth, that he was from another dimension, but he was pretty sure she wouldn't believe him.

_"Telling her the truth will only make her angry, Ichigo. Do not reveal your secret."_ Zangetsu chimed in.

Sure, there was that, but Ichigo couldn't help but feel... guilty. Keeping his secret would leave the both of them much safer, and she wouldn't think he was lying or bluffing or being sarcastic. All benefits, right? Except, Ichigo was always a straightforward, honest guy. Lying, or even half-lying wasn't his forte, and he sincerely hoped that would never change.

He just had to leave things as they were, and hope that it would never bite him in the ass once the future rolled around.

"Ichigo?" After a long period of silence, Erza started to talk again. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bring up your past, and I know it's probably painful. I just-"

"Shut up, Erza." His voice didn't hold any malice or anger. "It's alright."

She couldn't quite stop the next few words that came out of her mouth. "Oh, really? That's a relief, because I really value your friendship, Ichigo. I don't really have that many friends here, so I'm just glad you didn't get mad or any... thing..." Eleven year old Erza eventually realized she was babbling. Ichigo didn't seem to be bothered, though.

The boy chuckled, his laugh full of heart. "You're a good friend too, Erza. Now go to bed, I've still got three patrols to deal with and you have your chores." After a moment's hesitation, which was admittedly needless, he added, "Good night."

Ichigo turned his head from the crack in the wall, but he still heard Erza wish him a decent night of sleep as well.

Too bad, too, because with all the memories flooding back, he might not have a good rest for weeks to come.

* * *

><p><em>Three days later<em>

"Okay, Sensei, you've proven that you're not _completely_ worthless! Now, I want you to do that speed burst thing you tackled me with. If you know Speed Magic, then that means my job is done!" Kagura's voice was filled with unnatural good cheer, despite the intense beating she had received barely four days ago.

"I thought your job was to teach me Gravity Change? Not just any kind of magic." Ichigo deadpanned.

She frowned. "Shut up and do the speed-thing."

Ichigo tried, he really did, but he didn't exactly know how he did it.

_"Ha, the impotent little bastard can't do it!"_ Hollow was _cheering_ as Ichigo tried, mostly in vain, to focus whatever energy he might have had.

The girl watched on for all of a minute before sighing wistfully. "I take it back. You _are_ completely worthless. Let's just go and get lunch, or something."

"Didn't you want to spar?"

"I changed my mind."

"Well, sorry. I have a patrol to deal with in a half-hour, so, I can't stop to get food or anything." Ichigo explained, his voice relatively even and stoic.

Kagura practically _beamed_ at him. "Well it's a good thing I made lunch, then, huh!" Her voice was nauseatingly cheerful. She proceeded to pull two bento boxes, with metal frames of inexpensive, beaten, ugly tin.

The smell that wafted from these boxes, was anything but. What the hell had she made and how long did she take to make it, Ichigo didn't know. What he _did_ know, was that this was an oddly suspicious coincidence. Had she planned it this way?

Answer: probably.

"Hm. It smells great, Kagura, but this seems awfully suspicious... did you plan it this way?" His voice reflected more than a few untold implications.

"Uh huh." She answered as she handed Ichigo a box. "I kinda wanted to thank you for everything you've done."

"You've got to be kidding me. I've beaten you down and broken at least three of your practice sheathes, and you're _thanking_ me? You've got to be the craziest girl I know, Kagura."

She frowned. "Aw, that's all I get, Sensei? I'm pretty sure you've done more than just hurt me; you're a really good person, you know that?

Ichigo almost sputtered. It was a good thing he didn't, because then he would have gotten half-chewed food all over her training gear. He swallowed his food a moment later. "I'm not that good of a person, Kagura." Ichigo murmured, reflecting on all those who had died under his command, back in the Blood War.

Call Kagura what you would, but she was a protective sort. She didn't quite like it when people insulted those she was close enough to call a friend, going so far as to start massive arguments when it happened. It was just weird that the insult was both directed at and coming from her mentor.

"Thanks to you, Sensei, I'm leagues better than I used to be. Aside from all the beatings, physical and verbal, you're a great teacher!" She exclaimed, blushing ever so slightly.

Huh. Ichigo had always scorned Kisuke for his excessive teaching methods, and when Ichigo adopted those same methods from him, he had expected Kagura to hate his guts. It was weird that she didn't; was she a masochist or something, because she always seemed to take any sort of damage without complaining or slowing down. Weird.

"Whatever you say, my little student." With that, he dropped all conversation and went for his meal.

It was good... surprisingly so. Ichigo wasn't one to appreciate food, not even before the War, and after it... he simply stopped caring. The Blood War had made him so accustomed to tasteless, but nutritious condensed reiryoku that he considered anything with a flavor above a boiled potato's a culinary masterpiece.

This was painstakingly and arduously made to create a flavorful, mostly vegetable dish that far outstripped even restaurant fare. Ichigo didn't even want to know where in the hell she'd gotten the sushi from; the stuff was a rarity in all of Fiore in general, and near impossible to get or make in Rosemary.

Kagura would make one hell of a wife. If she ever dropped the sword that is, which was unlikely.

"Jeez, how much time did you spend on this?" Ichigo asked casually as he put the box away. "It's even better than Yuzu's cooking."

Kagura grinned, both embarrassed and proud of the compliment. "Who's Yuzu?"

"She was my sister. A good kid; She taught me how to cook." Ichigo reflected wistfully. Normally, he'd have never dropped the name of anyone from his past life, but Erza had dredged up memories from all sorts of times and places. "Alright, I should probably be going out now."

Ichigo got up to his feet and checked Zangetsu, just before Kagura shot out her hand and grabbed his own with frantic speed.

...What the hell?

"Wait! Can't you just skip one? Rosemary's done fine without any guards before... and there haven't been any threats for awhile... Can't you just stay for a little bit?"

Ichigo smiled, almost bitterly. "Nope, I have a job to get to."

She frowned intensely. How that was even possible for a face such as hers, Ichigo would never know. "Then let me go with you!"

Ichigo sighed. "You're so damn _clingy_. What happened to the other Kagura, huh?" His voice was caustic, but not _entirely_ sarcastic.

The girl stamped her foot, for seemingly no reason at all. "I just... like spending time with you."

He froze up. This was... not what he expected. If she was implying what he thought she was... Dammit, this wasn't good. Still, he could always play it off; ignoring the situation and confronting it another day was always an option. Granted, not a very smart option, nor a very brave one, but he didn't really care.

_"Dammit, King, it's so freaking obvious. If she likes you the way Orihime liked you, either confront her or turn her down! Hurry up!"_ Hollow was yelling at him in the most horribly obnoxious way possible. It brought a splitting ache to his forehead.

_"He's right, Ichigo. It's not like you to run away from your problems."_ Now Zangetsu was agreeing with him. Damn, today just couldn't get any worse.

_"Besides, she probably only thinks of you as a friend. There is no need to panic." _Zangetsu. His voice was always that of reason and logic; a good thing, too, because Hollow was the exact opposite.

_ "Right, right."_ Ichigo agreed. _"It's probably Orihime's fault that I'm so jumpy."_ It was true, too. After Orihime had made her heated confession, Ichigo had began to wonder whether or not there were other girls that had feelings for him.

He'd turned them down, of course. War was never a good time for some petty office romance.

Even if that office was a dingy vault full of mold and water.

"Uh, Sensei?"

Ichigo realized he had stood in total silence for all of two minutes. Almost panicked, he stammered, "Oh, right. Sure, fine, you can come along. It shouldn't be a problem."

She cracked a wide smile. "Okay! Let me get my gear!" Ichigo raised an eyebrow. Kagura had everything she needed; training armor, katana, and a glare capable of freezing even the most hardened bandits. The girl sprinted to her bag and practically tore it open in her bid to find the whatever-it-was she was looking for.

What came out was another katana, this one long, white, and elegant-looking. The hilt was a dark red, with little pale green rivets, holding it together. It's most striking feature, however, was the mass of bandages that stretched from the hilt, to somewhere up the base of the blade.

"Archangel. It was my dad's sword, you know?" Kagura uttered reverently as she ran her hand over the sheathe. "He gave it to me after you carried me back to my house. Said you made me strong enough to use it... weird, huh? That he'd say it after I came back unconscious and half dead... but no matter what, you're the reason he gave me this. Thank you."

Ah, that explained things. Crisis averted.

"Glad to help. I'm your sparring partner, after all." A moment passed. "Come on, we have places to go."

Kagura nodded cheerily as Ichigo started to run forward. Without stretching, of course, because he _didn't care_.

Ichigo looked to his companion, who was still looking at Archangel with a stare that might have been just a _little_ fanatical. Oh well, he remembered looking at Zangetsu the same way just minutes after achieving his first Shikai.

Today just might turn out alright.

* * *

><p><em>Several minutes later<em>

Ichigo redacted that last statement many, many times over. Today was _not_ alright, and it would by no means ever be alright, probably for the rest of the day. That simple fact was probably due to the man, standing in front of them. With a simple blue tee-shirt and white cargo pants, he looked pretty normal. His spiky blue hair and idiotic grin, however, was anything but.

"Yo!" That stranger called out cheerfully. "So, uh, I'm here to collect a bounty on your head."

What the hell kinda greeting was that?

Kagura glared at the stranger and dropped a hand to Archangel's hilt. Ichigo walked closer, eyes almost piercing.

"A bounty, eh? I guess I should be flattered." He stopped short and drew Zangetsu. "How high is it?"

The stranger blanched at the sight of the blade before leaping back. "Woah! Put that away, don't wanna cut yourself, do you?" A realization seemed to dawn on him a moment later. "Oh, yeah, and someone put eighty-thousand Jewels on your little head, and I need to pay rent." Macao sensed a rise in tension. "Oh don't worry, it's not a kill-order. Fairy Tail doesn't operate that way, I just have to bring you someplace."

Ichigo laughed stiffly, if that was even possible. "Eighty thousand? I really haven't done _that_ much. Right Kagura?" He turned to his student, who only nodded sternly. "Oh, and my dagger here? Not sharp at all." As if to illustrate that point, he slashed it across his throat, only to do no damage whatsoever.

The stranger paled even further, but he didn't seem all that scared. "Huh. Before we start fighting, I wanna introduce myself." He extended his hand. "Macao Conbolt, Fairy Tail mage."

Ichigo met his grasp. "Ichigo. Town guard."

_"Fairy Tail... it sounds familiar, does it not? Perhaps we should ask about it."_ Zangetsu mused.

_"Who the hell cares! He looks strong, let's fight him!"_

_"You are not Kenpachi Zaraki. Do not act like a bloodthirsty brute, Hollow."_ Zangetsu chided the spirit, as if he were a child.

Kagura watched the two shake hands and exchange greetings. Was this how bounty hunters worked? She kinda figured that they were more intimidating and less... cordial. Whatever the case was, this one was still trying to hurt her friend, and she'd beat him down if she had to.

"So then. Any idea why you'd have a bounty on that orange head of yours?" Macao asked casually, as if to break the ice with Ichigo.

"Nope. All I've really done is take down bandits, and I doubt they'd have the money to organize a big assassination attempt." Ichigo shrugged. "Maybe they pooled their money or something?"

"Eh, whatever. Either way, my wife is getting antsy and I need to pay the rent. Maybe get her some dinner or something too." With that, Macao broke off the conversation and jumped back. "Hope you don't mind if I hurt you or anything." Purple fire spread and bloomed from a large magical circle, and pooled into his fist.

Kagura jumped in front of Ichigo. "Sensei. Let me deal with him." She stated, her voice blunt and direct.

Ichigo shrugged nonchalantly. "Sure, do whatever you want. Might as well find someone other than me to test your strength against, right?"

The girl beamed at him, looking adorably Yuzu-like for all of a moment, despite her darker hair and sharper features. "Thanks! I wanted to test Archangel out."

Ichigo waved her off and watched her take a stance. If she ever needed it, he'd step in immediately, of course, but for now, it was her and Macao, squaring off.

"Um, I kinda need to deal with Ichigo, and not you. I don't really have any problems with you, girly-"

"If you want to hurt him, get past me." Kagura was off like a shot directly after, right hand clutching Archangel, and left hand holding a growing orb of energy.

Macao whipped his arm to the left, creating a surging crescent of purple fire. Kagura pushed forward and carved a path directly through that flame with Archangel, and sprinted directly for her enemy. Panicking, the fire-mage formed dual orbs of energy, in both hands, and shot a hailstorm of purple bullets at the rapidly approaching enemy.

Kagura shot her left hand forward and dropped those projectiles to the ground, making them weigh almost as much as lead, rather than air. She cleared the distance and lunged forward, Archangel at the ready. To her mild surprise, Macao jumped back with relative ease. He shot a tendril of purple flames forward and slammed it into Kagura's exposed chest.

She gave a strangled cry of pain as she was thrown backward, and into the dust. It was a painful, but strangely cold attack, despite that purple stuff both looking and sounding like fire. Kagura got to her feet in just a moment, though. She had suffered worse at the hands of her mentor, that much was known to her.

Ichigo, for a moment anyway, looked ready to kill this newcomer, but instead focused on calming his nerves. Kagura was strong, and he trusted her strength. One hit wouldn't bring her down, that was for damn sure.

"Y'know, you really don't have to protect your boyfriend. He looks pretty strong on his own-"

"He's not my boyfriend. He's my Sensei." Kagura muttered calmly, and dashed forward.

Macao never quite saw the blade coming for him, but he was quick enough to raise a brilliant, purple flame to dissipate the force behind that attack. Oddly enough, despite the strength and thickness of that shield, Archangel cut through it with surprising ease. Macao leaped back, barely avoiding the loss of his throat.

Kagura was relentless, and pressed her assault with surprising viciousness. She didn't revel in fighting like some of the bandits that used to plague Rosemary, but she had come to enjoy her spars with Ichigo. To her, fighting someone new was a lot like getting a new video game.

Not that she knew what that was, of course, but Ichigo had said something like that before.

The girl had closed the distance remarkably quickly, moving at speeds Ichigo might have been proud of. Kagura shifted Archangel backward and slammed the hilt into Macao's gut with incredible amounts of power, dropping the guy to the ground.

Of course, he immediately countered with a massive gout of fire that crashed directly into her stomach, but you had to take damage to deal damage. Something like that, anyway. Kagura gasped in pain, but very quickly jumped out of the magic's path, and rushed back into the battle.

"Jeez, you can take a lot of punishment, can't you? How are you not unfazed?" Macao asked, somewhat rhetorically as he readied another orb of fire in preparation for the next barrage.

Kagura didn't answer the question, and went immediately for a lunge. Macao sidestepped the thrust and coated his fist in purple flames, hardening his strike.

"Sorry." He muttered as he crashed that fist into her right shoulder.

The girl, thrown off balance by the attack, was very quickly struck again and sent flying. She had already soared several meters before she crashed to the ground in a damaged, quivering heap. Somehow, she didn't let out a groan or a whine, and got to her feet directly after.

Too bad Macao had already gained the upper hand, huh?

The mage sprinted for her, shooting off bolts of purple fire at random. Kagura gritted her teeth and readied a one-handed defense. She could have used magic to slow him down or drop him entirely, but Ichigo always disproved of it; he preferred hand-to-hand combat over any form of magic. She merely wanted to emulate that.

Macao shot his left hand forward and released a catastrophic burst of purple fire; that bolt moved and looked like a shock-wave. Kagura dodged the attack and sprinted forward, Archangel held in front of her. The Fairy Tail mage sent another shock-wave in her direction, but the attack didn't seem to affect her.

Weird.

Kagura shot her left hand forward and grabbed Macao's shirt. She pulled him toward her and slammed Archangel into his forehead, knocking him almost unconscious and inflicting a _massive_ amount of damage upon him. She leaped back and lunged forward, almost in one motion, and crashed her right knee into his back.

For the first time in this entire fight, the mage showed any indication that he had felt whatever punishment was dealt to him.

Macao groaned in pain, just before he spun around and shot a whip-like tendril of fire at her. Kagura was struck and thrown almost immediately, and she crashed into the ground a moment later. Just as before, she got up, showing little indication of pain or injury. Her strength and combat prowess seemed completely unchanged, despite the very obvious injuries she was sporting.

Macao soon realized that he was fighting a losing battle. Going into open combat against someone who never seemed to feel injuries, or fighting someone who was just too stubborn to get knocked out... these two things meant a near impossible fight. Especially if that fight happened against someone who was of equal or greater strength.

And to him, it was almost ludicrous. Kagura's strength, speed, and accuracy was beneath his own, but she seemed to have a technique born from instinct and experience, rather than knowledge. She was a warrior, not a soldier... And then there was the _teacher_ to deal with after this.

So yeah, an impossible fight.

"Ichigo. You taught her?" He dispelled whatever energy he had in his hands.

"Yeah." In the monotone he had developed so well, Ichigo threw out his reply.

"Are you proud of her? She's damned good at what she does."

Ichigo paused, as if to consider the question. "Not yet. She's not as strong or as fast as I'd like her to be, and she can be too reliant on her magic. Kagura's got a long way to go." Well, that was... not the way most people would answer.

Kagura grimaced slightly, but very quickly straightened her expression. So she wasn't at an acceptable level for her mentor. So what? She'd just get stronger then.

"_Not good enough_? You must have high standards then..." Macao trailed off. "I'll be going now. I think my stomach's upset from all the hitting." The mage broke off the fight, just like that. Neither of the other two seemed all that intent on stopping him.

Kagura clasped Archangel to her belt and straightened her clothes. They really hadn't been damaged by the fight all that much, although a tiny bit of the right side of her shirt had been ripped open. Oh well, maybe she could ask Erza's mom to sew it back up for her.

"Sorry for hurting you." Ichigo didn't really say anything else.

"That's okay. Y'know, you guys are pretty strong. You should come by the guild, over in Magnolia, and just hang around sometime. We'd love to have a couple new members!" Macao Conbolt turned around at that point, and walked away. "I'll be in town for a couple days, staying over in that hotel down the road. Call me if you ever need help or anything." He called over his shoulder, almost like an afterthought.

"What a weird guy, don't you think, Sensei?" Kagura finished straightening her training gear, and sauntered up to her friend.

"Eh, I knew a lot of weird people back in my time. I still wouldn't have called them out on it; back where I'm from, the weirder guys were usually the stronger ones." Ichigo was of course referencing Mayuri and Kisuke with that one.

"Well, okay. Should we head back out on patrol, then?"

"Sure, why not." Ichigo responded, Zangetsu in his hand. "But next time, if anyone comes, just drop them with your magic. I've got a really bad headache from that guy's shouting."

For no reason at all, Kagura giggled childishly.

* * *

><p><em>Seven Days later, Oshibana<em>

It was dark. Very, very dark. In the middle of a large stone pit, stood a bulky man in a black cloak, standing among five tied figures. This figure was singing a little song to himself, and toying with his revolver. He paced back and forth around his victims, very occasionally aiming his revolver at them.

Acquiring these captives had not been easy, but somehow he had done it. He'd broken into the houses of many people just to grab them and make off with their sleeping bodies. This was counter-productive to his objective, obviously, as he had lost nearly an entire night of progress, but he had gotten an itch that needed to be scratched. Besides, he was above schedule anyway.

"Give me a hammer and an _an-vil_..." Spider intoned musically as he approached the first victim. "Then I'll strike it _once!_" With a sickening crack, his revolver fired. A blue spark indicated the shot, and the the sound of splattered brains and blood confirmed it. The victim fell to the ground, dead.

`"Add some iron to the _foh-orge_..." The grin on that madman's face grew wider and wider. "Then I strike it _twice!_" He fired off another shot, and a second victim cried in pain. His muffled screams were stopped by a heavy cloth, jammed in his mouth, that seemed to choke off any speech whatsoever. That victim's shoulder was caved in and blown off all at once, but it wasn't enough to kill him outright.

Spider's grin widened to an impossible degree. It was odd that his face hadn't torn open from the stress of it quite yet.

"Then you shape, the _bla-ade_..." That musical, pleasant tone was completely out of sync with the murderous person that birthed it. "And then I strike it _thrice!_" Another shot rang out, and a third victim screamed in agony.

Her screams were just as muffled, but much, much shorter than the last victim's had been. This bullet had shot directly through her heart, and while it was an extremely painful death, it was much faster than the other person's; he was still bleeding out and crying profusely.

Spider paused in his ministrations. "That song's boring. Let's choose a new one!" He sent a gunshot into the air, emphasizing the last word.

He stopped for a moment, thinking on his words. That thought process, however, was interrupted by the screams and moans of the arm-less man. Irritation and anger welled within the psychopathic cultist.

"Shut up!" He nearly screamed at him, for all his rage.

The man, however, didn't stop crying. Perhaps losing an arm was just a touch more pain than he was ready for? In any case, it irritated the hell out of him. Spider pulled a knife from his cloak; one of the two ornate daggers he had collected before he left. He approached the annoying insect, and very quickly silenced it.

A jab to the throat, and a slash across the windpipe. That's all it took.

Copious amounts of blood and shavings of flesh spewed from the wound, painting the entire area a haunting crimson. Spider quite liked that color, finding it to be darkly soothing. The psychopath readied his revolver and loaded in four more rounds, replacing the ones he'd expended.

"These bullets are expensive, you know? If you make me miss a shot, I'll be _very_ angry." He warned, grinning madly. He paced around the two remaining hostages, fiddling with his gun. "What to sing, what to sing? You can never do a good execution without a song!"

Spider paused. "I've got it!"

In a chilling, eerily deep baritone, he recited the lyrics.

"Shoot him, shoot him full of _lead!_ Blast off, blast off his whole _head_! Oh what fun, oh what joy, it's your lives I will destroy!" Spider punctuated his sentence with an errant gunshot that clipped off the fourth victim's ear. An immediate cry rose from his lips, but the man was quick to stifle it. He had just seen what happened to those who got too loud.

"Stab her, stab her with a _knife!_ End her, end her worthless _life!_ Oh what fun, oh what joy, it's your lives I will destroy!" The man approached the victim whose ear had been blown off. Spider pulled a dagger from his coat and stabbed it down into his shoulder, punching through solid bone and ripping through his flesh.

That victim, whose name and face would be forever unknown, broke his internal pact of silence, and _screamed_. He cried and he cried, trying with whatever willpower he had left to will away the pain. It was in vain, however, as it would never leave. To think, he had planned to go out and bring his family for a trip once he woke up, as a pleasant surprise.

To think that he would never see another sunrise.

Spider pulled the blade from his shoulder and tossed it aside. He'd pick it up later. He instead rummaged around in his satchel and pulled the black-red lacrima from it. Advanced Holder Magic that pulled it's form from the depths of the user's soul, the quartermaster had said. Well, Spider was curious to see what form it took for _him_.

He forced his magical energy into it's depths, and it's murky interior lit up like a candle. Immediately, wicked red energy spewed from the lacrima's depths, appearing first as a shapeless mass of dark red eternano. But it rapidly converged into a material form. The red orb dispersed into energy, if only temporarily, as the weapon was finalized.

A massive, five-foot scythe with an enormous blade. This was usable, Spider thought evilly. He walked over to the still-screaming captive, and raised the blade.

"One head, two, black and _blue_... Hit her once, hit her _twice_!" He slammed the scythe down on the captive, crushing his skull with the sheer force behind the impact. The scythe's shaft, made entirely of magic energy, punched through the man's head with ease. A wet _plop_ was heard as whatever brains were in his head fell out of his now ventilated jaw.

Spider laughed maniacally, raising his head to the moon and practically screaming in joy. He turned his sights to the remaining woman, jaw wide open. His teeth looked suspiciously like fangs, and his grin looked far too... beastly to be human.

That last captive, a woman in her forties, was shivering and trembling. Her mind was screaming panicky thoughts at her, and telling her to _run the hell away._ If only the damned ropes weren't so tight, she might've been able to escape.

The scythe-man walked up to her, eyes clearly alight with insanity. "Go, woman. Tell the others _everything_ you saw. Then, when the time is right, I will come back, and I will finish what I started. I will reduce this city to a group of terrified, huddled plebes. When that time comes, I will make my harvest." Spider was drunk on the scent of blood at this point, even if such a thing wasn't physically possible.

He picked up that ornate dagger, the one that he had cast aside, and slashed the ropes away with a single motion. Spider reached into her jaw, his hand stinking of blood and viscera, and pulled the cloth from it. The woman immediately screamed in terror, and ran away as fast as she possibly could.

_Good. I'll be back for this town, as soon as I do as Zeref wishes. Ichigo shall be dead, very very soon._ With that thought, Spider set off for Rosemary, knowing he was just a couple days away at this point.

He was well ahead of schedule, but that could only be a good thing. Besides, the insane very rarely adhered to the abstract concept of time. They did things when they wanted, and the way they wanted it.

And if those things happened to be brutal murder and torture, it was all the better.

* * *

><p><strong>AN**

**I could never be a songwriter.**

**I had difficulty with this chapter for three reasons: School, life, and the plot. I waited too long to put into play the most major of the upcoming plot points, that being the Rosemary Invasion. Whatever, it should be up in one or two more chapters.**

**Oh, and yeah, sorry for the slow plot progression. My stories usually go at breakneck speeds, so I want to practice everything I'm not good at. Character development and romance included.**

**I have a Christmas Poll up. Cast a vote, or don't. It's your choice.**

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><p><strong>StarDragonBooste-<strong> No, I don't think Ichigo is going to get the bigger of his two zanpakuto back in a long time, if ever. For now, you should consider it non-existent. His Fullbring, however, is another story. One that shall be told in the next couple chapters.

**Guy345-** Thanks for that, and I guess it is kinda surprising. My age, I mean. The events of the village will be altered more or less, but the extent of that I shall not reveal. Thanks for all the compliments, and make sure to point out any errors you see, if you see any. Thanks!

**Girl Fish-** So, I should just expect lotsa questions every chapter, eh? I'm fine with that, even if I can't answer all of them.

Yep, the village attack is one or two chapters away at this point, Spider's assassination attempt notwithstanding.

No, even before coming to Earthland, Ichigo mastered his Hollow. He's completely and perfectly fine, but perhaps there are other potential sources of distress.

I'm putting this plot at a snail's pace because otherwise, it tends to be at breakneck speeds, so yes, there should be a couple 'wandering' chapters. One or two, I mean.

Hm, not gonna say anything about Lucy, because I don't have plans for her. Yet.

Yeah, Lucy should at least appear a few times before the guild really comes up.

I don't know if I established this in the earlier chapter or not, but yeah, Natsu's still a dragon slayer. He's got his fire powers and his strength, but sad to say, he's not really the central protagonist anymore. Ichigo, Kagura, and Future Erza have taken that spot. (I say future because she's not old enough to be useful yet.)

No, probably not Take-Over. Speed magic, and maybe a certain brand of Holder Magic. Maybe more, but there aren't that many mages who ever manage more than one magic type at once, so we'll see.

I don't think so. He may exchange greetings and words with Loke or some of Lucy's other Spirits, but he's not really a celestial mage.

**Redripper666**- I'm sorry you didn't like that Ichigo's powers are gone, but I feel as if it's necessary. An overpowered Ichigo is a boring Ichigo, because a protagonist who gets through life without conflict is just... boring. Oh, and I don't mean to be rude, but if you think that Ichigo's powers are what 'make him, him', then you have severely misjudged him. A person isn't determined by their strength, but by their personality.

That is all.

**Sandwich-** Well thanks for the endorsement, and thank your friends for reading this. I'll keep updating as fast as I can, trust me on that.


	6. Assassination

**A/N**

**So, I don't know if you guys know or not, but I have a Christmas poll up. So, vote for that, why don't you? It's on my profile page.**

**I also messed with the properties of Tungsten. Don't get mad at me, chemistry buffs! (I doubt there are chemistry buffs in the fanfiction universe)**

**That is all.**

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><p><em>Outside Rosemary Village<em>

Clear skies. No wind. A perfect day to line up a shot and fire.

Spider was in place. The rifle was down and the target was in sight. Ichigo's orange hair and black robe was a dead giveaway, and it looked as if his apprentice was following him around. The sniper pulled out a crystal ball-thing, a communication lacrima, and phoned in the base.

"Target is in sight, sir. I'm ahead of schedule by a few days."

"Good work, Spider. Take the shot. Make sure to only kill those two. No one else." The man answering the call was a dressed in the typical Zeref Cult robes, brown fabric, hooded, and extremely loose.

"Don't worry, sir. I won't fail." Spider said cockily.

"I hope you're right about that, Operative. Take him down nice and easy."

Spider cut the link and the crystal ball became cloudy again. He turned his attention back to his rifle, and looked down the scope. He lined up the scope with Ichigo's chest, steadied his aim, and pressed his finger into the trigger.

One click. That's all it would take.

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><p><em>Three days earlier<em>

Hollow was bored. He made that point painfully, and annoyingly apparent. Every hour of every day, he complained. Well, Ichigo figured, there was a breaking point, even for the most patient and emotionally robust of people. For the former Shinigami, being awoken by incessant screaming _inside his own head_ was exactly that point.

_"King! When are you going to get my sword back?! I'm so damned bored in here, and I want you to use my powers."_ Hollow's screeching was both incessant and endless.

"Jam a sock in it, you whining piece of crap. What the hell am I supposed to do about it?" Ichigo shot back, annoyed beyond relief.

_"Two things, King. Get back my sword, or find some other way to use my powers. I've been getting my strength back, King, and I'm sick of it goin' to waste."_

Ichigo growled. "I want to get stronger too, Hollow, but there's no damn way. How am I supposed to tap into whatever power you have, when you're not even supposed to exist in this dimension!"

_"Find a way."_ Hollow was being annoyingly stubborn. Annoying.

"Real great advice, y'know. If only you'd tell me _how_."

Ichigo suddenly heard footsteps, distant, sure, but they were definitely getting louder. It was a single person, that much he could tell, but he wasn't quite sure if it was Erza or Kagura. It could have been either; they were really the only two people in those whole village that he talked to.

Dark red hair appeared from behind a corner. Erza, then.

"Hey, Ichigo!" She called as she sprinted his way. Her voice wasn't quite panicky, but it wasn't normal either. "Come with me!"

Before Ichigo could protest, the girl had thrown... something at him. The teen caught it with his right hand. Whatever it was, it was heavy, very heavy, despite it's small size.

"What the hell is this?" He asked, a lot more aggressively than strictly necessary. Oh well, dealing with insane zanpakuto spirits had a habit of making you angry.

"I'll explain it later, just come with me!" Erza grabbed his left hand and pulled him forward. She struggled. A lot. "How are you so heavy?!"

Ichigo sighed wistfully, and began walking after her. "So where are we going?"

She turned her head and grinned at him. "Kagura's dad made that for you!" Her grin faded. "Oh, I guess I wasn't supposed to say that."

Ichigo looked down at the unassuming metal cylinder. It was a dull gray, and it was about the size of shot glass. Other than being very heavy, it didn't seem all that special.

"Will made this? Is this some kinda magic device or something?"

Erza just smiled at him. "Kagura's dad will answer your questions."

Ichigo grumbled something under his breath, but followed Erza's lead without complaint. If this metal cylinder thing was some kind of weapon, then it was all the better for him. His arsenal consisted of Zangetsu and his fists. A form of magic would be well appreciated at this point.

It didn't take long for them to arrive at the cottage where the Mikazuchi family lived. The building was spartan and utilitarian, with no real decorations or aesthetic value. However, something Ichigo hadn't noticed the last time he came here, was the small forge out back, sizzling and burning. He raised an eyebrow, but didn't make any comments.

Erza, with all the elegance of a bear, threw the front door open and shouted her greeting. "Hey! I brought Ichigo!"

Someone came running down the hall, very fast. A head popped out from behind a wall. Kagura's dad, named Will, if Ichigo recalled correctly. A smile, slight but definitely noticeable, came onto his face.

"Hey, Ichigo." Will called out, a bit too cheerfully.

Not willing to waste time, Ichigo cut right to the chase. "What the hell is this thing?"

"Oh, that thing. It's a weight." He looked around absentmindedly for a moment. Will fell silent, and he began to mess around with his fingers. Was he trying to think of something to say?

_"When he's not in a fight, this guy acts a lot like an idiot I know so well."_

_ "Are you talking about Ichigo, Hollow?"_

_ "You got it, Old man."_

"A weight." Ichigo said incredulously.

"Uh huh. But don't ask anything, yet, I'll answer your questions out by the forge." He paused, remembering something. "And don't ask about the forge, either. I got it yesterday."

Hm. This guy seemed to be such a polar opposite from his clear, to-the-point daughter, that Ichigo would've believed him if he said Kagura was adopted.

Ichigo followed the man through the halls and out the backdoor, where a surprisingly large array of weapons and tools were laid out. This was... unexpected. Sure, the guy had a ridiculous amount of eastern blades- At least seven practice blades, five regular katanas, and Archangel- but this was just weird.

Ax heads, daggers, knives, swords. Examples of all of these were laid out and presented to Ichigo like some weird ritualistic offering.

"Are you gearing up for a war, old man?" Ichigo asked with absolute, complete seriousness. If this guy knew something, something dangerous, then it was up to the town guard to find out, right?

Will chuckled nervously. "Something like that. You know that mage guy you and Kagura scuffled with? He stopped by my house this morning to tell me that a suspicious figure is coming this way. He's armed to the teeth and cloaked, and said he was coming right for this village." The man eventually realized that he was babbling and not breathing, and pulled in a gasp of air.

Ichigo broke his stoic composure for a moment. "You're serious?"

"Deadly serious. I don't like the sound of a guy like that, and I know you're strong, but Macao said that that guy had a massive amount of magic energy. I like living in Rosemary, and I'll fight to the last breath to protect this place. I want to make sure that everyone else does, too."

"That sounds dangerous, but it's only one person. Is arming the entire village really a smart idea?"

"No. This arsenal is a last resort, and besides, I kinda need an excuse to pick up my trade again."

"I see. Then what does this weight have to do with things?" Ichigo held up the dull gray cylinder.

Will grinned, ear to ear. It was a very unsettling sight. "You see how heavy that is? Well, I figure if you punch a guy with it, it'll hurt. So I made you a glove." Will pulled a heavy-looking black glove from a drawer. Holding it one-handed seemed to require quite a bit of effort, it seemed. "Kagura did the sewing, I just inlaid a few weights."

The glove, just his size, pure onyx, and finger-less from the second knuckle down, was a perfect accessory to his outfit. Of course, that wasn't all Ichigo cared about, but it was still important if he ever felt like intimidating some random schmuck. He slipped it onto his left hand, and immediately, that weight bore down on him. It was bearable, of course, as it only weighed, at most, twenty pounds. Still, most people wouldn't see this as a practical weapon.

"Since you wear those weighted robes and swing around that behemoth dagger like nothing, I thought only you could use it." Will explained.

This metal was curiously weighted. It was very heavy despite it's size, but it wasn't gold. Ichigo wasn't particularly versed in chemistry, but the weight and look reminded Ichigo of a tungsten alloy. But that begged the question; where in the hell had Will found tungsten?

Ichigo gave a few practice swings, and slammed his fist into a conveniently placed boulder. The rock cracked and shattered under his attack, but his hand felt strangely unharmed.

"This glove makes great armor, too." Ichigo remarked.

"I know. Erza found a chunk of that metal down in the mines, about the size of her hand, and brought it to me. How she lifted it, I don't think I'll ever know."

Ichigo then remembered that Erza was the one who brought her here in the first place. He turned to her, and the girl was smiling brightly.

"So, you want me to have this thing?"

"Of course. Consider it thanks for training my daughter so well. Y'know, she actually beat me during our last spar? I've always been more of a blacksmith than a fighter, but it still makes me proud to see her so strong." With pride in his voice and emotion in his chest, Kagura's dad sang his daughter praises.

Ichigo just grunted. "Don't get too sappy on me, now."

Will grinned. "It's too late for that."

Ichigo gave his thanks and set out, feeling that strange weight in his left hand to be almost... comforting. He had never quite felt right without the larger half of Zangetsu in his hands, and although this glove didn't make that great of a replacement, it at least helped.

_"Great, King, you got a fancy glove. When're you gonna get my sword back?"_ Hollow demanded.

"Working on it, Hollow. Don't get your panties in a knot."

_"Work faster."_

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><p><em>Present time<em>

No one comes away from a war without scars.

This was the lesson Ichigo learned, and the lesson he lived with. For some, those scars were physical, those scars ached and stung on rainy days, and stood as a testament for the battles they fought. Others, like Ichigo, bore scars on their emotions and their minds. That, however, was where everything diverged.

The scars of some caused the victims to descend into quasi-madness at the drop of a hat, reduced to blubbering piles of fear, or worse, angry madmen. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder was a nasty thing indeed. Towards the end of her life, Rukia had suffered such a fate.

Some pulled away from their lives and the future they fought and bled for, became empty and nihilistic. If there was anyone who could ever take that mantle, it had been Byakuya. He had always been stoic, had always been cold and calculating. By the end of the Blood War, however, he'd withdrawn even further, gradually becoming near-suicidal in both his attacks and defenses. By that time, he had fully withdrawn, and had stopped caring for either his life, or his scant few friends.

Others, they hardened. They didn't withdraw, they didn't break, they turned their emotions and their instincts into tough shields. Those scant few who were capable of such a thing, they sharpened whatever instincts they had into a spear, and their body into a shield. The Blood War had seen both Ichigo and Kisuke turn into relentless killing machines, hunting down and killing Quincy soldiers left and right. They didn't fully withdraw, and they didn't completely forget the faces of those they killed, but they also refused to let those kills haunt them.

Ichigo's instincts, the very same ones that had kept him alive through the war, were on full alert. There was a sniper, and his scope was on his head. The Quincies had been fond of sniping, had been fond of firearms. Because of that, Ichigo knew when a sniper was aiming at him, and where he was aiming from. It wasn't something he could explain, nor was it a phenomenon that could ever _be_ explained, but he knew.

His left hand, armored and gloved, was raised to his head a split second before the shot rang out. A round, encased in an envelope of sinister crimson energy, slammed into the back of Ichigo's fist. Kagura, who had been standing beside Ichigo, jumped noticeably in shock.

"Kagura! Get to cover, now!"

"What the-"

"_GO!_" Ichigo's voice rose to near ear-breaking levels, and he gave his friend a hard shove for emphasis. Another gunshot filled the air, and the teen barely had time to block the attack with his fist. It was just plain unfortunate that the impact spun him around a bit.

Knocked off balance for all of a second, the sniper took a third shot. Ichigo barely had enough time to jump to his right, and the shot still grazed along his stomach. A thin red line, not bleeding but freaking _painful_, was drawn across his body and through his shihakusho.

_Too close!_ Ichigo thought as he relentlessly scanned the area for the sniper's position.

He could tell the general direction of the gunshots, but not the position of the sniper. Sunlight reflected off a scope, and by some distant miracle, Ichigo saw it.

A fourth shot rang loudly, and a screaming mass of blue came rushing for Ichigo's skull. The boy raised his black glove to his head, and blocked the shot, just before it blew away his skull. The glove had taken some very direct damage, but it still hadn't broken yet.

"Sensei! What the hell is going on!?" Kagura yelled from behind a boulder. Ichigo had an acerbic reply ready, but then he realized that she had never heard a gunshot before in her life.

"Someone's trying to kill us. Stay behind that rock, and do _not get up._" Although his voice was calm and collected, there was a grave seriousness that hung off it like a shroud. "Stick to the ground, I'll deal with this-" Ichigo's words got interrupted by a gunshot.

He was just a bit too slow in his defense, and the round shot past his hand and carved through the side of his neck. Ichigo groaned in pain, but he was far from dead. Just a graze, he thought frantically, but didn't really know for sure.

Ichigo didn't even _want_ to know, honestly.

"Sensei, let me help you." Kagura called from behind the rock, still not moving.

"Stay down. This is too-"

A gunshot came flying low this time, and it crashed through Ichigo's right knee.

He gave a strangled cry of pain, and dropped to the ground. "_Fuck! Fuck! Oh God that hurts!_" Somehow, impossibly, he got to his feet, despite the shattered bones in his leg. "I'm... not going to... die here..."

Ichigo turned his head to see his horrified student, with wide eyes and a horrified expression. She trembled and shivered, perhaps at the sight of so much goddamn blood, or perhaps because her previously unassailable Sensei was so close to death.

"Sen...sei..." Kagura whispered, with terror compounding her every word.

"_Stay down!_ I don't know what I can do, but I won't let this bastard kill you." Ichigo turned his head back to where he'd seen the glint of a scope. Sure enough, there he was, the cloaked bastard that Macao had warned them about.

_"Ichigo. Your knee has been shattered. There is simply no way you can reach him; call for help and stay alive till it gets there."_ Zangetsu suggested.

"Retreat and you will age. Hesitate, and you will die... that's what you told me, isn't it, Zangetsu?" Ichigo broke the conversation for a moment, if only to block another gunshot. "I'm not going to put anyone in danger, not even to call for help."

Ichigo didn't care that Kagura had heard every word he said, or that he was putting himself in grave danger. No villager, armed with Will's weapons or no, would be coming to save him today.

"Kagura. If I die here, I want you to run. As fast as you can, and stay out of sight." Despite the massive pain in his leg, and the frequent gunshots he had to parry, he kept his speech unbroken and clear.

"No! I'm not going to leave you like this. Let me help you."

Ichigo chuckled dryly. "No can do, kiddo. It's been fun." Ichigo turned away and began a desperate trudge toward the distant man. That black-cloaked target, that he would bring down at any means necessary.

He wouldn't kill him, no, but by the end of it all, the man would _wish_ he was dead. And that was a promise.

His knee shouldn't have worked. His body shouldn't have moved. His mind shouldn't have been as clear as it was. These three things should have been made impossible, by one thing or another, but they weren't. Ichigo always had a knack for breaking the impossible.

A gunshot. Another. And another. Somewhere along the way, Ichigo's right hand had been carved open by a half-broken, ricocheting bullet fragment. Another time, he had felt the last few working muscles in his right leg give out. Nothing stopped him, and although his pace was agonizingly slow, it never once stopped.

_"Speed the fuck up, King. Do you want all three of us to die here, you worthless fuck?"_ Despite the caustic words, Hollow was both calm and logical.

"How do I...?"

_"You did it once before, during that fight with your little student. Do. It. Again."_

If only he knew-

_"Don't think, don't hesitate. Just do it. Speed is engraved in your instincts, speed is your biggest strength. Regain that strength, Ichigo, and become the King that Hollow says you are."_ If Zangetsu was good at anything, consolation and motivation was it.

A bullet phased by his head, cutting some of his hair and singeing his flesh, but otherwise leaving him unharmed. Now or never, eh? If he didn't move faster, he was bound to die.

Ichigo pulled in a deep breath.

Do or die. All or nothing.

_Lets go!_

Power and strength welled up within Ichigo's chest, and that power spread through his whole body. It was a feeling that had been lost to him, a feeling he had forgotten, up until now. He directed that power to his legs, and amazingly, his right leg mended and sewed itself.

_"Perks of having Hollow powers, eh, King?"_

"Damn right." Ichigo's eyes glowed blue, and his body was enveloped in an ever-spiraling mass of raw magical energy. It didn't feel like reiatsu, and it was definitely less potent than it, but power was power, and Ichigo was damned glad to have some back.

With a resounding sonic boom, he _lunged_ forward, for his enemy. A bullet came crashing for him, but even at near-supersonic speeds, his reaction time was legendary. That round was blocked, grabbed, and crushed almost instantly.

He slammed into his opponent like a train, crushing the sniper rifle in one motion, and tossing the cloaked man back a few feet. To Ichigo's mild surprise, the cloaked man recovered in mid air and landed on his feet. The face presented to Ichigo's was one hidden behind a mask. A very creepy and disturbing mask, looking like the six-eyed face of a spider, fit with tufts of bloodied- human?- hair and large animal fangs.

Spider, as Ichigo elected to call him, reached into his cloak and pulled two long black daggers, all with a single fluid motion that might have been hard to see for the average person. The cloaked man came running for him, one blade held in a reverse-grip, and one pointed for him.

Ichigo met the assault with vicious speed, not bothering to hold back. He slammed Zangetsu into the first dagger, and blocked a stab from the other with his glove. Spider pulled back almost immediately, and lunged back just as quickly. The assassin slashed Ichigo across the chest, and opened a shallow wound, just before jumping back several meters to avoid a counterattack.

The teen, bearing the immense pain, immediately sprinted for his enemy. Whatever speed he had used to get here had fled his body, it seemed, but it was no matter. At knife-fight range, there was no use for supersonic dashing.

Spider grinned evilly, and in a single, under-exaggerated motion, threw the left dagger at Ichigo's gut.

The former Shinigami blocked the assault with the black glove, and lunged forward with Zangetsu. Spider pulled back, and stabbed forward with his dagger, embedding the black blade deep in Ichigo's stomach.

Ichigo let loose an unbridled cry of pain and rage, and stumbled back.

Spider grinned under his mask and slammed his foot into Ichigo's chest, launching the boy back with near-impossible levels of power. He reached into his pocket, and pulled the black-red orb out. His grin widened. Ichigo crashed onto the ground, and in a dazed heap, looked up to see his opponent already in the air. That wasn't quite what perplexed him, though.

A scythe. Black-red and absolutely massive, was in his hands and hurtling down for his body.

"Sensei!" Ichigo heard Kagura scream, partly out of fear, and partly out of concern.

Whatever the case was, there was no way in hell Ichigo was going to die on her. She was a friend, and Ichigo didn't let down his friends. Rolling at _just_ the right speed, he avoided being completely murdered by the scythe, and jumped to his feet. He dashed forward and shot his gloved fist into Spider's stomach.

Or so he thought, anyway, because the scythe's handle had completely blocked his attack. Spider twirled the shaft and slashed it's blade at Ichigo, easily carving another wound across his chest. That black blade sliced through his flesh like butter... simply glorious.

The boy grayed out for a moment, and bit down on whatever strength he had left and struggled not to collapse.

_Don't die here. You have a town to protect._ Ichigo told himself as he braced his fist.

Ichigo lunged forward, Zangetsu held in reverse, and slammed the blade's hilt into Spider's gut. Hard. Before he could recover, he followed with a second strike from his gloved fist, easily snapping the masked man's jaw in two. In his rage, the teen never quite saw that the black scythe had disappeared.

"Gahtcha..." With a bubbling, liquid throat that spewed blood, Spider spoke his first words and brought down the black-red orb to Ichigo's gut.

The scythe handle materialized and shot directly through Ichigo's stomach, like a spear, and impaled him. The teen gasped in pain, but otherwise remained stoic, even as Spider added a second hand to his grip and pulled the scythe out of Ichigo's body... in the most horribly painful way possible. The agent ripped the scythe handle out by dragging it through the entire left side of the teen's body, easily slashing through a few organs in the process.

Ichigo jumped back and fell to his knees, gasping in pain and struggling to breathe. This was a fight, alright, a fight to the death. Motivational words and calming phrases only got you so far, now it was time to use whatever power he had left in his body.

"It's time to die, my little friend." Spider intoned monotonously, looking very much like the grim reaper himself with his cloak. Even the mask, arachnid in nature, helped to assert that appearance.

No, there was no way in hell that Ichigo would just lay down and die. He raised Zangetsu to parry the imminent attack, but Spider only chuckled.

"A tiny blade won't help you now, little boy." The agent dashed forward, moving with speeds that were almost inhuman, and swung the scythe downward in a deadly arc of black energy.

"Sensei! You idiot!" Kagura shouted as she brought Archangel forward.

Somehow, impossibly, the two of them had been able to stop the swing and stay alive just awhile longer. Ichigo got to his feet and ignored the massive wound in his gut, one that he had only gotten once before from Kenpachi Zaraki. His body was almost cut in half, but that wasn't going to stop him. Yet.

"Kagura... didn't I tell you... to run?" Ichigo asked with genuine confusion. His memories must have been addled slightly by his injuries.

"You aren't dead yet, Sensei. I'm not going to run away, and I'm sure as hell not going to leave you. You're an idiot for not accepting my help in the first place."

Ichigo smiled, bitterly and horribly. "Whatever. Let's just kill this freak."

Spider, however, only looked amused. Even with the mask on. "How touching. Are you going to kiss and make up? Or are you going to fight back to back, like the gunslingers in that western movie?" With a voice that reflected hatred, sarcasm, and even a little envy, Spider expressed his thoughts. Even with a snapped jaw, he seemed to be relatively concise. Weird.

"Whatever it takes to bring you down." Kagura said resolutely, even as Ichigo spat blood coughed violently.

"This ain't a movie, sweetheart. Your boyfriend should relax for a spell." With a hauntingly clear western accent, Spider drew and fired his revolver six times.

Every single gunshot slammed into Ichigo's chest, blowing his body wide open and dropping him to the ground. Blood pooled around him in a lazy pool, spreading and spreading.

Kagura watched with horror, but it wasn't panic that was rising in her throat. It was hatred, plain and simple. "Ichigo-sensei won't be brought down by a few bullets. You're an idiot if you think that." Without even another word, she dashed forward and swung Archangel in a graceful, deadly arc.

Shifting the scythe to block the assault, Spider caught her katana. Without so much as a moment's hesitation, he slammed his leg into her side with a vicious roundhouse kick. The girl didn't lose her footing, but she did get tossed back a few meters. Ouch. The agent charged forward once more, pressing his assault with merciless speed, and raised his scythe.

Kagura raised Archangel and parried the first downward swing, before sidestepping another kick. She lunged forward and slammed the sheathed blade into Spider's gut, and followed up with an equally powerful swing, one that connected with the agent's leg. The assassin-agent jumped back to avoid a third strike, and readied his scythe.

"I will kill you, little girl." Most of his words were illegible, thanks to his shattered jaw, but Kagura could sense the killing intent behind those words.

They charged for one another, Spider, with his scythe in both hands, and Kagura, with Archangel held one-handed. At this point, it was an all-or-nothing deal. Failure would mean death for Kagura, and for Spider, failure meant defeat. To the agent, that was a fate even worse than death.

Kagura thrust Archangel into Spider's gut, but the agent merely grinned. He dropped the scythe for all of a moment, and slammed his fist into the girl's face. The girl cried out in pain, but Spider was relentless, landing hit after hit, and pulverizing her body. The pain was enormous, almost to the point of body-numbing, but the injuries were worse.

Spider whirled around and kicked her in the face, and threw her back. She'd be lucky to survive a hit like that, the agent thought.

Ichigo struggled just to breathe, and as he watched the battle, it got even harder. His body was a ruined shell of what it once was, and death was closing in. His chest was just a bloody mess of indescribable flesh and blood, and he had no doubt that his life was numbered in minutes, not years.

_I'm not going to die here._ Ichigo told himself.

_I will not die here!_ Somehow, despite the literal lack of blood in his veins, and his shattered body, he rose to his feet.

_I REFUSE TO DIE HERE!_ His throat was raw, his eyes were wild and alight with fury. Hollow was working double to repair his organs, and Zangetsu was working just as hard to pull in whatever energy he could from the air.

"Spider!" Ichigo shouted, drawing a bit of surprise from the agent. "Get ready." With not an ounce of hesitation, he charged ahead.

His body was a ruin, and Ichigo would be lucky to survive this fight. No matter what happened, Ichigo would come away with scars. Still, as long as Hollow was there, he'd make sure to keep Ichigo's inner organs, y'know, inside, as well as repair his body and keep him from keeling over.

It's no fun to serve a dead King.

Speed and energy pooled into Ichigo's body. It was a pleasant, empowering sensation. The boy widened his grin to near-maniacal levels, and dashed forward with the ferocity of a hurricane. His gloved fist had slammed into Spider's chest a half-moment later, crushing his bones into powder almost instantly.

Perhaps it was sheer surprise that made the agent stumble, or perhaps he was giving his first indications that he felt pain. Either way, Spider stepped back a few feet, and Ichigo was quick to launch a second strike. With a leg that was enhanced by ungodly amounts of speed, he launched a kick into his gut.

Spider stayed on his feet, amazingly, but skidded back several meters. Ichigo pressed the attack, running forward at incredible velocities.

"Ichigo! I'm here to help!" That was Macao, wasn't it? What the hell was he doing here?

The boy didn't turn his head or even acknowledge the voice, and instead shot his left fist forward. He slammed the attack home, crashing into Spider's gut with the force of a freight train. Accompanying his attack, was a surge of purple fire.

Spider collapsed to the ground under the dual attack, and Ichigo didn't let him recover. With merciless efficiency, he slammed Zangetsu's hilt into his forehead. There was no sickening crack, no shattering of bones, just the collapse of a body.

Lights out.

Ichigo stumbled back, head spinning. He too had suffered severe injuries, but Hollow had patched his chest perfectly. The rest of his body, however, was a different story. Damn, the doctor was gonna have some work to do.

The boy collapsed to the ground, landing on his knees, and pulled in air with ragged gasps. Somewhere along the way, he saw the small black orb that Spider had dropped. For no reason at all, he grabbed it and put it in his pocket. A pained groan escaped his lips as he collapsed entirely, just a moment after.

Kagura got to her feet, and while she was definitely battered, none of the damage was all that permanent. Except for the odd few scars she had garnered, she would come away the exact same way she was before.

The girl rushed to his side, and knelt beside him.

"Ichigo-sensei, are you alright?" She asked, worry-stricken.

"I'm fine, Kagura. Just fine. Catching my breath..."

Macao watched the exchange and walked over to the two of them. There was no smile on his face, no look of victory. How could he smile when the two victors were splattered with blood, and the ground was battered and stained. The mage helped Ichigo to his feet, and made sure to tie up the unconscious assassin afterward.

"You okay, Ichigo?" The man asked quietly.

"I'm alive, and that's good enough... I think I should get to a doctor, though." Ichigo replied, feeling a lot worse for wear.

"I'll say. C'mon, let's get you back to the town. You're an idiot, Sensei, but that's why I love you." Kagura grabbed his arm and held it over her shoulder.

Ichigo grinned, despite the pain in his face. "I love you too, Kagura. Just like a little sister..."

"Tch. With all the idiotic stunts you pull, I might as well be the older one." She looked back at Macao, who was watching the exchange impassively. "Can you bring that bastard back someplace? Like a prison, or something." Kagura didn't bother waiting for a response, and instead focused on bringing Ichigo back to a doctor.

"You got it." Macao hoisted the unconscious man over his shoulders, and walked back towards the nearest town.

Ichigo and Kagura walked through the fields, with the latter supporting the former. It was a long walk to go, and it would be one spent in silence. Well, relatively speaking, anyway.

"Hey, Kagura?" Ichigo asked through incredibly thin breaths.

"What is it?"

"Do you feel like this is just the beginning...? I don't know, but my instincts are saying... that there's more on the way..."

Kagura paled. "I feel the same way, Sensei. There's a sinking feeling in my gut, and I don't like it."

Ichigo looked down at the black orb, just barely visible inside the pocket he'd sown into his shihakusho. Somehow, this black-red thing gave him just a little comfort. For no reason at all, he decided that he'd keep it.

"Let's just get to the doctor..." Ichigo breathed, finding his airways to be sickeningly clogged with dried blood.

"My thoughts exactly, Sensei."

* * *

><p><em>A day later, Doctor's Office<em>

Ichigo had recovered remarkably quickly, so it seemed. He'd garnered a few more scars, and he would definitely need some time before his right leg worked the same way it used to , but he was going to make a full recovery. Kagura too, it seemed, had only come away with a minor rib fracture, and a number of bruises. Will hadn't been happy to see his daughter so beaten, but he accepted it.

Being a warrior rarely ever left people unharmed.

Of course, despite his recovery, and despite his recent victory, Ichigo was bored out of his mind. He was confined to this bed, orders of both the doctor and Erza, and not allowed to leave until his leg mended itself. That was just stupid, Ichigo thought. He could walk, he could move, so why the hell couldn't he leave?

_"Hey, King. You know that red orb thing you picked up earlier?"_ Hollow's voice was much more cordial than it normally was. Perhaps he was exhausted after the last fight, and just not willing to be acerbic.

_"Yeah, what about it?"_

_"The old man thinks it might be linked to my powers. Try to put some magic into it, why don't you?"_

Ichigo figured he at least had a decent level of control over his energy at this point. It probably wouldn't hurt to give it a shot. He rummaged through his pockets and pulled out that sphere. It was a small thing, probably about four times the size of most marbles, but it also seemed to exude power.

Spider had used this to create a scythe. Ichigo wondered if it would take the same form for him.

He forced energy into it as best as he could, which admittedly wasn't all that great. His control would always need improvement.

Slowly, and steadily, the black interior lit up and glowed, turning from a murky darkness to a crimson red. The surface of the orb gradually became shimmery and fickle, and started to dissipate into red particles. Moments later, the orb disappeared entirely, and was replaced with a shape only Ichigo would remember.

The first stage of his Fullbring, the swastika shape of his tsuba. Ichigo grabbed hold of the center, and held the guard forward like a shield. So this was his power then, eh?

_"Hey, King."_

"What do you want, Hollow?"

_"This ain't as good as my sword, but I think it's a start."_

"I'm _so_ glad you approve, you bloodthirsty monster."

Despite his words, Ichigo was feeling pretty good about this. If his Fullbring, as brief lived as it was, was back under his control, then that meant that it wasn't too improbable to think that his other powers might be back some day. The boy held the Fullbring forward, and watched as it spun lazily around.

No, this definitely wasn't a replacement for his larger sword, but it was a start. Indeed, it was a very good start.

Well then, it was time to get up. He wasn't about to waste his time on recovery.

* * *

><p><strong>AN**

**Was the fight all you hoped it would be? Was Kagura too weak or too strong? Please, tell me!**

**I don't have much to say, although I would like to re-mention that there's a poll up on my profile, if you would be so kind as to vote on it.**

**There might be stuff I want to say, but just forgot about. Oh well.**

**Onto the reviews!**

* * *

><p><strong>Girlfish- <strong>Hm, I don't think Ichigo will get into the guild until at least two or three chapters, but I'm sure Macao will mention his name or something the next time he gets to the guild. Seeing a fifteen year old boy take down a trained assassin is a rather uncommon sight, don't you think? I think that warrants at least an article in Sorcerer Weekly.

I don't know about a love triangle, I guess they're alright, but I would never do a harem. If there ever is one, I think it would boil down to a choice scenario, and not Ichigo choosing both. Call me old fashioned, but I like a simple, monogamous relationship.

Heh, I don't think they'll be that easy. A common shonen trait is to make the protagonist grow faster and be stronger than his allies, eventually leaving everyone else in the dust. I think I want Ichigo, Natsu, Erza, Gray, Kagura, Lucy, and any other core protagonists to grow at roughly the same speed.

I don't think so either, but since I don't know Romeo's age, I can't be sure.

Hm, Ichigo might run into Makarov sometime, but it's not definite.

I don't want to follow canon too closely, so Bora might not even appear in this. We'll see, won't we?

**Guy345-** Huh, I guess I didn't catch that in editing. Thanks for pointing it out. Y'know, I've never been called 'bro' before, by anyone. I just wanna throw in my two cents.


	7. Developments

**A/N**

**So, apologies to make and excuses to forge.**

**Sorry it took so long to get this one out, and I have no reason as to why. Maybe because it's mostly filler and non-essential to the plot, and I suck at filler. Maybe it's because I'm genuinely lazy, and let a video game eat up my time. In any case, I hope you forgive me.**

**Also, despite the time I had, I'm disappointed in this chapter. The quality is a lot lower in my opinion, and what developments are made here are hasty and... rather stupid. Forgive me, and strike me down if you so desire...**

**Though it might be kinda hard to do that over the internet.**

**That is all.**

* * *

><p>It was official. Ichigo hated doctors. A tiny cot and no freedom, that gave Ichigo lots of time to think. Frankly, he'd rather be outside, doing whatever and whittling away the time. But no, that stuck-up bastard saw fit to keep him penned up in this tiny room, without so much as a book to read.<p>

At least he still had his zanpakuto to talk to. He might have gone crazy, otherwise.

_"Ichigo."_ Zangetsu spoke through the hazy film of Ichigo's mind.

"Yeah, what is it?" He replied, not bother to do the telepathy-speech thing.

_"My theory has been disproved."_

"...Stop talking like that. What are you trying to say?"

_"In regards to our zanpakuto, I thought that the reason my blade maintained a physical form, and Hollow's did not, was because I alone was able to absorb energy from the air. Now we can both take strength from the latent energy, but the larger of your two blades is not here yet. That means there is a different cause behind it."_ Zangetsu explained.

"Huh. Any ideas why that is? I want that sword back too; I don't feel right without something heavy in my hands, but I don't know how to get him back."

_"I don't have any ideas. Perhaps we should learn more about the Magic of this world, and find someone to teach us. Perhaps then we might find a way to get our larger blade back, and even a method of returning home."_

"Don't we have Kagura to teach us?"

_"She knows of a form of Magic, but she is not versed in it as a whole. What about Macao Conbolt? He works for a guild, so he may be able to teach us about this."_

"Maybe, but I don't really want to impose. He's only here on vacation, and he'll be gone in a day or two."

_ "Then perhaps we should accept his offer and join Fairy Tail. If what I'm thinking is correct, then it is a meeting spot for mages. There should be someone willing to teach you about the inner workings of Magic, should you join them."_

"I've got a town to protect, Zangetsu. I want to get stronger and I want to eventually get home some day, but right now, I think I'll stay right here."

_"But if the assassin who attacked us earlier is after you, wouldn't it be reasonable to assume that you are putting this town in danger? Perhaps, now that Will has armed the town, we should leave it be."_ Zangetsu was awfully persistent on getting Ichigo to leave. The spirit had a point though.

"I guess you're right, but I wouldn't feel right about leaving so soon. We'll see, won't we?"

_"Yes, I suppose we will."_ With that, Zangetsu broke off the conversation and retreated back into the inner world. Probably to drink imaginary sake and watch imaginary movies.

Zanpakuto spirits are weird.

Ichigo, however, had pretty much nothing to do. Hollow had done a great job of patching his knee and his chest, but both still needed time to heal properly. Besides that, there were still a number of other injuries to tend to, and the doctor had restrained his hands after he caught him playing around with that Fullbring thing.

Of course, it wasn't as if Hollow could speed his recovery in any way. Even back at his old levels of strength, Instant Regeneration had been something that could have only been done one or two times a fight, but here it was barely manageable at twice a month. It was almost surprising that Hollow hadn't killed himself by repairing so much damage so quickly. Ichigo wasn't all that surprised that the bastard was tired.

Although... that did leave a few questions to answer, like why there was such a gap in strength between Zangetsu and Hollow, in this world at least. Before, Zangetsu had definitely been the weaker one, and that was reflected in the trench-knife form that his zanpakuto took, but he was also versed in control and the finer parts of Ichigo's abilities.

Here, though, Hollow was just weaker in general. Perhaps the air here was counter-intuitive to his body structure or something, or maybe the creature's innate strength was just being sapped by a lack of ability to absorb energy. Zangetsu was literally the personification of his Quincy heritage, so it was little wonder that he had flourished in this energy-rich place.

An interesting theory, one that Ichigo was sure Zangetsu had picked up on.

It only made him want to get up and leave even more. Being held here, his arms in leather restraints, was more than a little annoying. Ichigo's wounds might not have fully healed, but this goddamn boredom was agonizing. Much more so than any gunshots he had ever taken over the course of his lifetime.

_"You sure about that, King? I'm pretty sure getting shot through the knee hurts a lot more than sitting around some room."_ Hollow's voice was both lethargic and slurred, but just as painfully abrasive as usual.

"Tch, maybe you're right. Whatever, who cares. Any idea on how to get out of these damn leather things?" Ichigo asked hopefully.

_"I dunno. What if you tried pulling on it."_

"You're an idiot."

_"Just do it already!"_

Ichigo sighed and did as he was told. His arms, bound in front of him with tough leather that refused to move, were pretty unresponsive. Great, pulling on it did absolutely nothing.

"Any other wise ideas, Hollow?"

_"Yeah. Use your Speed Magic stuff. It might make your arms pull a little harder."_ Huh. Hollow actually had a half-decent idea that wasn't linked to murder and/or rape. A first time for everything, eh? _"Then we can go kill that bastard who shot you!"_ Okay, scratch that.

"And here I thought you were changing for the better, you albino freak."

_"A real god never changes."_ Hollow remarked proudly.

"Oh? And when was I graced with the presence of a god?"

Hollow growled. _"Just do the damn thing!"_

The boy held his tongue and averted any acerbic comments. Might as well just do what the albino said and see what happened, eh? Power pooled into his arms, originating from somewhere in his chest, and he let it grow. Gradually, that strength rose higher, until it became just a little too much.

With a gargantuan effort, Ichigo whipped his arms apart at supersonic speeds. The leather came apart with ease, and although he probably crushed the wood walls a bit, he managed to break his bonds in the process. Great.

"Now, I just need to find out where the doc hid my weapons." Ichigo told himself. He found it unsettling that he was treating this like a prison breakout, when in reality he just wanted to get some fresh air.

Still, it would be a _very_ cold day in hell before he walked outside without Zangetsu.

And that Fullbring orb could probably have some value, too.

Ichigo looked around his tiny room, but couldn't find where his weapons were. With a sigh, he cracked the door open and peered out into the hallway. Hm, no doctor in sight, all clear. The door was opened completely and Ichigo walked out. He closed the door behind him and looked around, wondering why and where a village doctor would hide his weapons.

The closet had nothing. The other other rooms had nothing. The main office had nothing. Ichigo was almost ready to give up, when a knock at the window caught his attention. He turned to it, and sure enough, there was his trusty little apprentice with a cotton sack thrown over her shoulder. She seemed to be struggling with it pretty badly.

Ichigo popped the window open and greeted her with his normal causticity.

"What the hell are you doing here?" He practically growled at her, for seemingly no reason at all. Maybe he was just grouchy because he'd been confined in his room all day.

"I brought you your weapons, Ichigo-sensei. I thought you might be able to use them."

Ichigo grabbed the cotton sack and opened it. Sure enough, Zangetsu, that weird armor-glove, and the black orb were all in there. Jeez, this thing must have weighed at least thirty pounds... how she managed the weight, Ichigo would never know.

"Thanks." He muttered as he put the glove on. Zangetsu was clipped to his belt a moment later, and the Fullbring orb was in his satchel at the same time. It felt good to be armed once more.

"Why would I need my weapons by the way?" Of course, Ichigo left out the fact that he himself had been looking for them.

"No reason. Just thought I'd help a friend out."

"Whatever you say, Kagura. Let's just get the hell outta here. I've been in that damned bed for way too long." Ichigo climbed out the window and into the open air. Today was a good day, with open skies and clear air. Just as well, too, because if he had to stay cooped up in there for any longer, he might have snapped and gone insane.

Prison breakout, successful.

* * *

><p><em>Oshibana Prison, present time<em>

_"I failed, sir. The target managed to overpower me in the end."_ With his telepathy, Spider sent a message back to base.

_ "Very well, Spider. What have you to report?"_ The receiver seemed mildly surprised that Spider wasn't dead yet, but didn't make any note of it. He was displeased, though, anyone could have heard that in his voice.

_"Multiple things. Ichigo has unparalleled regenerative abilities. I witnessed this on two occasions: First, when I shot out his kneecap and brought him to the ground, he regenerated that knee. Second, when I blew his chest open with my revolver. He survived both occasions. The second thing is a glove. I'm unsure if it's magical or not, but it's bulletproof; he used it to deflect bullets during a charge."_

Spider looked around, and noted two guards in front of his cell. After his massacre, back in this very town, the guards were wary, and operators checked in every twenty minutes.

_"The glove also hits like a truck. If you're punched full-force, your bones are going to break."_

_ "What else?"_

_ "He has the Shifter lacrima. I don't know why he took it, but he has it, and with his magical potential, I'm sure it's a deadly tool in his possession."_

The receiver fell silent for a moment. _"If he's this powerful, how have you not been killed?"_

_ "It seems that his only weakness is his charity. He has yet to kill a single person, as far as I know, and spared me. I can't say the same for his apprentice- who, by the way, is relatively weak- but he never once struck to kill. If presented with enough soldiers, he should be easy to overwhelm."_

_ "Good work, Spider. Where are you?"_

_ "Oshibana Prison."_

_ "We'll have an extraction team ready to pick you up. Sit tight and stay alive."_

Spider grinned widely. Just moments before, he had thought he'd be left for dead. _"Yes sir."_

Escape was on it's way, and that was a very good thing indeed. All he had to do was catch a nap or two, and then the cavalry would arrive. Oh, what a glorious word that was, cavalry. A word associated with gallant rescues and last-minute arrivals. For Spider, the cavalry was his ticket out of here. A second chance to exact whatever revenge he had cooked up in his head. That was the difference between his definition, and the common definition.

The difference was very small. Murder and glory went hand-in-hand for this particular madman.

_But is that really all there is? Isn't there a world other than the one painted in blood, Spider?_ A traitorous voice welled up from the bottom of his mind.

"Of course not. I gave up my sanity a long time ago." He spoke to himself, eliciting a look of confusion from one of the guards.

_This may sound stupid, but perhaps your sanity has yet to give up on you. You aren't completely gone yet, Spider. Do not believe that you are._

"Shut up, oh voice in my head."

Although it did indeed quiet down, the seeds had already been sown. Spider may not have been a good person, but he wasn't crazy either. Well, not yet.

We'd just have to see, wouldn't we?

* * *

><p><em>Rosemary Village, two days later<em>

There's never a better time than the present, eh?

And of course, that went double for combat training.

Erza wasn't versed in swordplay, nor was she a particularly strong sort. She could beat Simon, who was her elder by a few years, in an arm-wrestling match if she tried hard enough, and she was pretty sure she could outrun a horse, but in open combat, she was doomed to death. That wasn't a bad thing, she was eleven, after all, but it wasn't a pretty thought to have.

So, after a lot of Ichigo-pestering, and after a lot of mother-begging, she was finally given a chance to sharpen and establish her skills. Mostly the latter. Kagura had agreed to teach what she knew, if only because Ichigo was likely to break every bone in her body if she tangled with him. She had been granted a wooden Shinai for practice.

Although, perhaps, as Erza found out, Kagura wasn't all that much better. Ichigo's labor-intensive, extremely violent training methods had leaked onto her own, and Kagura had a tendency of hurting Erza. A lot. As it stood, the little girl could hardly hold up against the onslaught of attacks that she was dealt.

Archangel had been put elsewhere; the bastard was still extremely capable of slicing flesh with or without a sheathe. Instead, a Shinai similar to Erza's own was her weapon, and she was extremely capable with the weapon. Kagura knew that she was still leagues away from ever matching her mentor, but there was no use dwelling on it.

Erza still had no idea what she was doing, but she was frantic to keep parrying whatever attacks flew her way. She was determined to fight, determined to be strong. If Rosemary was her home, then she would get as strong as she could to protect it. A wooden blade came flying in from her peripheral vision.

She was quick to dodge the attack, but that left her balance shaky and her movements sluggish. Kagura grinned evilly, probably something she picked up from her mentor, and thrust the Shinai forward. The wooden blade jabbed hard into Erza's gut, probably leaving a huge bruise and causing a great deal of pain.

But if she felt that pain, Erza wasn't ready to show it. The younger girl grabbed the Shinai by the blade, and pulled Kagura closer. She launched herself forward and slammed her own blade into Kagura's chest, knocking her off balance for a critical moment.

When she whirled around for a follow-up strike, however, Kagura had already recovered. A sweeping blow knocked her to the ground, and Erza groaned in pain. She didn't get up, because the younger girl had a blade pressed to her neck an instant later. The fight had barely spanned a whole minute, it seemed. Damn.

"Don't feel bad about it, Erza. I am older by four years, aren't I?" Kagura said apologetically as she helped the younger girl to her feet.

"That doesn't make it feel any better." She straightened her clothes and grabbed her Shinai. "Let's go again."

Kagura looked at her dubiously, wondering whether or not she was serious. "Are you joking, Erza?"

"Yeah. I wanna get stronger."

That reminded the older girl of her own motivations. She hadn't forgotten just what she had started fighting for. A mother long dead, a killer still roaming free. No idea who the killer was, or even where the murder had happened, but Kagura would be damned if her vengeance went undone. Erza's motivations likely weren't as romantic or as adventurous, but far be it from her to deny anyone the right to get stronger.

"Alright then. I hope you're ready to lose an arm. Or two." Kagura's grin became evil, and her eyes gained a new... unsettling light.

Erza was stalwart. "I should say the same to you." Coming from someone as young as her, it might be ridiculous. But then again, Erza, even at her young age, seemed to know no fear. Just as well too, because Kagura hated cowards.

Surprisingly enough, Erza was the first to go on the offensive. The girl lunged forward, blade in flight. She crashed against Kagura's blade with enough destructive force to crack both wooden blades, and repeatedly attacked her. The raw determination that reflected in the redhead's eyes made it clear. This girl would be a warrior, and that change might come a lot sooner than anyone would expect.

"You're strong, Erza." Kagura remarked as she parried another attack.

"You're not so bad yourself. But..." She pulled back and readied her blade. "I'll still beat you!" She charged forward again with a catastrophically fast thrust.

Kagura grinned. She sidestepped the attack and grabbed Erza's arm. With a single flick of her hand, the younger girl was disarmed and thrown to the ground, and a blade was to her neck. _Again._ It seemed to be her favorite move, oddly enough.

"Give it a few years, eh? Ichigo-sensei taught me too well for me to go down so easily." She pulled the Shinai back and examined the wood. "Damn, you cracked both practice swords bad, you know that? That's some pretty awesome strength, though I guess I should expect that from you, eh?"

Erza smiled warmly at the praise, despite the blooming pain from, well, everywhere. She got to her feet and dusted herself off. "I should, uh, get home. Still have chores to do." She stammered nervously, although why she was nervous, she had no idea.

"Right, you do that. I should go talk to Ichigo-sensei about something." Kagura walked off after that, both wood-blades in her hands and Archangel slung behind her back.

So then, it seemed, Erza had also been painfully inducted into Ichigo's little training circle. That boy had a knack for attracting followers, but who would've thought the first of them would be two mildly psychotic girls who were his junior by over four years. What a strange, strange world. Even if it was a world Ichigo wasn't actually born in.

* * *

><p><em>Two days later, unknown area<em>

Mastering Fullbring had been a bitch back in the day, Ichigo thought. Whether it be discovering and establishing that power in the first place, or refining it and babying it through it's many forms. Now, well over three years since he had actually used or practiced that power, it was even more difficult. His muscle memory was all but gone, and he had never been all that proficient with it in the first place. This, in turn, meant that the task ahead of him was going to be very frustrating.

Using a power that, at the moment, seemed to be completely defensive and with no second-dimensional abilities, was freaking _hard._ Despite the fact that Ichigo had elected to stay a pacifist, (well, not pacifism per se, but simply_ not_ killing people) this thing was hard to use. Even summoning the tsuba was taxing, and absorbing the impact from even one attack shattered it like glass. Damn, why in the name of hell was Magic so difficult.

_"Ready to suck up your pride and ask the Mage-guy for help yet, Ichigo?"_ Hollow's voice chimed through his head. Annoying.

"Not quite yet, Hollow." Ichigo replied with borderline hostile cordiality.

With another pull on his reserves, which were simultaneously limitless and restrained, he forced a fraction of his energy into the black orb. As was the usual case with his power, only the barest minimum actually got through to the object itself. In turn, the entire process was both extremely taxing and extremely fruitless. The problem was obvious. The cause and solution, not so much.

The orb flickered with light for a moment, and a shimmery image of his black blade-guard appeared. Like an old, broken television, the image flashed in and out, sometimes fading to invisibility, and at times, appearing completely solid. A moment later, the orb dispelled into particles, and the Fullbring took it's form.

Ichigo's expression didn't change, however. He'd seen this happen a dozen times, but as soon as the power flow- which was at least equivalent to the output of an open floodgate- was stopped or slowed, the illusion would shatter and the orb would reappear. It wasn't all that complicated, really, but it was still annoying as all hell. A bead of sweat dripped off his face as he maintained the spell.

Then, just as he'd done a thousand times before, he crushed in the tsuba with his gloved left hand. Just a simple test of it's strength, he told himself. Definitely not just an excuse to break something. Like glass, and just like before, it shattered into fragments and dissipated. But this time, his hand was left completely unharmed. Huh. That was new.

Still, it had shattered too damn easily, and even though his hand was stopped reasonably well, a shield that could only stand one blow was useless on any battlefield.

"Damn, this is just a waste of my goddamn time." His voice probably had a bit more aggression in it than was strictly necessary. Oh well, who the hell gave a crap?

Despite his words, he knew he wasn't quite ready to throw in the towel. Eh, might as well just give it another go. And when that failed, he'd just go and pick up some bread from the market or something. The perfect plan. Of course, if Erza were around, she might object, seeing as how she seemed to hate the fact that he only ever ate bread. But whatever, it tasted good and it was cheap. The perfect food, in his honest opinion.

Ichigo concentrated on the black orb, and sent another jolt of power into it. He had hoped that this would be identical to his Fullbring; easy to use and easy to maintain with little strain on his reserves. Of course, since fate seemed to hate his guts, it wasn't. This stupid thing only looked like Zangetsu's guard, but everything else was completely different.

The black orb lit into crimson, and the light swelled and brightened. Okay, so far so good. He turned up the power flow, fighting against some sort of innate resistance as he did. Okay, the image-thing was starting to flicker in, also good. Just a little more-

"What're you doing, Ichigo-sensei?" Just like that, Ichigo's concentration shattered, alongside the Fullbring.

"Dammit!" He shouted, and whirled around to his bewildered apprentice. "Not the time, Kagura. Go bother someone else." His words both sounded and felt a lot more snappish than usual. Kagura was... less than caring.

"Nope! I'm not gonna stop bugging you until you tell me what you just did." For emphasis, she stamped her foot on the ground.

"You're an annoying brat."

"And you're a grouchy old man. Tell me what that red-thing was." Kagura said obstinately, refusing to back down or change the subject. "Tell me, or I'll use Archangel to cut down your favorite tree."

Ichigo muttered something venomous under his breath. "That thing's as wide as a goddamn shack. You can't cut it down with one katana." He scoffed.

"Don't underestimate Archangel. Have you forgotten that it can still cut stuff even in a sheathe?" Ichigo found that voice of hers to be _really_ grating at the moment. But, at least he was one step closer to successfully changing the subject. "Now tell me about the red-thing!" ...or maybe not. Dammit.

"It's Holder Magic, Kagura. I don't see why you should give a damn about it."

She frowned. "Is Speed Magic not enough for you? Now you gotta get _another_ kind of magic, too? How do you think Speed Magic feels? You're cheating on her!" She cried in mock horror.

Ichigo simply growled. Now was not the time for goddamn jokes. "Magic doesn't have a freaking gender. Now go away and leave me to do the whatever-this-is."

"You're really grouchy today, Sensei. Maybe I should get you drunk, then you might loosen up a bit." Somehow, she said all this with a massive grin on her face. It might have been terrifying, seeing such a massive hole in someone's face, if she didn't look so damn happy.

...Okay, that was unexpected. "Let me ask you something, Kagura. Are _you_ drunk? You're sure as hell not acting normal. If you are, go and lie down or something. If you're not, then go dunk your head in some cold water."

"Aw, you're so mean." She stood up and grabbed his wrist. "Now come one, there's no use spending the day training. While we wait for those stupid wounds to heal, we'll go and get something to eat. And no, I won't buy you a loaf of bread." She paused. "Oh, and you'll have to tell me more about that Magic, in exchange for whatever I buy you."

"Tch, you talk too much."

"So is that a yes or a no? Because I'm not hearing a no."

Ichigo threw his arms in the air dramatically. "Fine! Buy whatever the hell you want, you win, little girl."

"If I'm a little girl, then you're a little boy. We're both fifteen, remember?" Oh, right. Ichigo always forgot about that. But, he'd concede the point willingly enough. There was, after all, a free lunch involved.

"Fine, whatever. The market's just down the road, so lead the freaking way."

"You're _really_ grouchy today, Sensei. How come?"

Well, Ichigo thought, there was a screaming voice in his head that was calling him names and swearing constantly. There was also that damn magic-stuff that was practically impossible to master, and his own strength was being limited by something. Oh, as if that wasn't enough, his freaking knee was hurting like a bitch, despite all the healing Hollow had done.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Ichigo responded, clearly lying. Well, if Kagura saw through the lie, she sure as hell didn't do anything about it.

So they walked, and a very boring walk it was. At least it was a short way, because Ichigo might have stabbed something if it wasn't. They now stood in the marketplace, the only area of Rosemary that could ever be described as busy. People walked to and fro, exchanges were made, and the constant talking and jabbering of the populace created a healthy amount of background noise. If his eyes had been closed, he might have been reminded of Karakura Town.

Kagura approached the bakery, navigating through a relatively decent-sized crowd as she did. "Two, um, slices of cake, please." She called while looking through a hand-written menu.

Ichigo raised his eyebrow. "Cake, Kagura? You'll get fat."

"Oh shut up, Sensei. I never get to eat anything unhealthy these days." She threw her hands up dramatically, imitating Ichigo's previous gesture. "It's all vegetables and super-foods. Not once have I eaten a pastry ever since you started teaching me. Not _once._"

"That's a good thing." He retorted dryly.

"No it isn't. It's a very, very bad thing." A short while later, she set up an empty table and motioned for Ichigo to sit across from her.

She ate her food with vigor, probably in a vague attempt to stir on Ichigo's own appetite. As it was, the boy was doing little more than poking at it with his fork.

"Uh, you might wanna slow down there. If you choke to death, your dad'll get mad at me." He said, although it was hard to tell whether or not he was serious. Damn monotone, always making things difficult.

"Shut your face. I'm hungry." Kagura shot back, venom in her voice.

"Good for you. Now where the hell is the Kagura I know? You're acting funny. Come to think of it, I asked that question a couple days ago. Are you bipolar? I think you're bipolar."

"You're not funny, Sensei. Shut. Up."

"Aw, you're hurting my feelings." He deadpanned. "I think you just broke my heart." The words conflicted with the tone; sarcastic words and dry tones didn't mesh well.

Kagura held back a scathing remark, and instead focused on finishing her food. Moments later, she realized that she was still kinda hungry.

"You gonna eat that?" She pointed at Ichigo's untouched cake-slice.

In turn, the boy raised an eyebrow. Huh, so her appetite was different too, in addition to the radical personality shift. "You pregnant or something?" He asked, deadly serious.

"Answer the question."

"The cake? Do whatever the hell you want, my oh-so-precious student." He pushed his plate over to her end of the table, and watched her... devour it. Was that even the right word for it? Hell if he knew. "But really, what's up with you?"

She rolled her eyes. "You're weird. There's nothing wrong with me, you're just imagining it."

"No, _you're_ weird. Now hurry up and eat so I can go home."

Kagura scoffed. "_What_ home? You literally live in a tree. Besides, you said you'd tell me more about the red-thing."

"First, that tree is a _very_ good place to sleep. Second, why the hell do you care?"

"Because you suck at Magic, and I wanna help you. Besides, if you suck at using Holder Magic- one of the easiest kinds of magic- then you _really_ need help."

"I'm not a wizard-"

"Mage." Kagura interrupted.

"-I'm just a guy. I have no idea as to what exactly magic even is, and I've never heard of it until a couple months ago."

The girl raised an eyebrow. "You've never heard of Magic? It's pretty common all around the world."

Oh crap. Well, that was a blunder... maybe he should have paid a bit more attention when Erza was telling him about this stuff. "Tch, where I come from, magic was found in kid's stories." Okay, it seemed like the subject had successfully been changed. Crisis averted.

_"Hey, King. Why the hell is this even a crisis at all? I mean, it's just some stupid weapon. Who cares if you have to explain it to her."_ That was also a good point, surprisingly enough. Why was he so fidgety? Hell if he knew.

_"You've said that twice, King."_

_ "I didn't say a damn thing, Hollow. I just thought it."_

_ "Same difference."_

Kagura frowned and snapped her fingers. Ichigo had zoned off, probably talking to the voices in his head. Hey, if he talked to his knife, then he probably talked to himself too. "Hey, Ichigo-sensei, what're you doing?"

Ichigo looked at her blankly. "What?"

"You spaced out. _Again_."

He didn't say a word, just looked off into the sky behind her. "This was... fun... but I should head back now. I probably have, eh..." He noticed that the sun was lowering. "A patrol to take care of. See ya."

"Can't I go with you? It's so boring around here, and my dad won't spend any time with me now that's busy making weapons again."

"No. The last time you went, you nearly got your head taken off by a sniper and my knee was blown open." This was the one point he wouldn't concede. As annoying as Kagura was, she was probably the closest thing he had to a friend in this godforsaken dimension. It was just stupid to put her in danger.

"Aw, but that was fun."

"Tell that to the guy who _got his knee shot off._" Ichigo got up from his chair and laid down a few bills.

"Oh, stop whining. I'm sure it didn't hurt _that_ much. You were able to walk after, right?"

"Tch, whatever. You should see the scar it left." It was fortunate that Kagura didn't seem to care that his leg had healed at superhuman rates. If she had remarked on it, he might have been in just a little bit of trouble.

"I have to go now. You should probably go home too." Ichigo remarked casually. "Maybe talk to your dad, or something."

"But he's boring."

"And I'm not?"

"You almost got assassinated. I don't know why or who it was that did it, but that's far from boring. I should go with you to make sure no one else tries to hurt you."

"You're fifteen."

"So are you." She shot back stubbornly. Her resistance was admirable, but also extremely annoying. Oh well. Annoying people had always been a big part of Ichigo's life; Ishida for one, and Goat-face for another.

"Why are you so stubborn about it? Go and bug Erza or something, aren't you her teacher now?"

"Erza's tired and her mom is mad at me. Why are _you_ so stubborn about it? Lemme go with you."

"No." With that, Ichigo broke off the discussion and went on his merry way. Eh, he felt a little dickish, sure, but he didn't care. Stuff to do and places to be, and possibly assassinations to stop. Just a part of everyday life, eh?

* * *

><p><em>1 day later, outside Rosemary<em>

If there was one thing the Cult of Zeref was good at, it was mayhem. Raiding villages, kidnapping children, and all that jazz was their specialty. There was absolutely no surprise or dismay when Spider failed to kill Ichigo. So, they would do what they did best and raze Rosemary to the ground. This was it, this was the battle they had built up to. Now it was just a matter of cutting off an orange head and taking a few kids as trophies.

No one quite knew why the Zeref Cult had an inordinate interest in child-slaves, themselves included. Nevertheless, there were quite a few choice targets. The kill-order on Kagura Mikazuchi had been lifted, simply because a child of her skill and stature might eventually be brainwashed into a useful shock soldier. Sure, she was the same age as her mentor, but much, much more impressionable.

She would be a fine target. Erza was also a good choice, because of her sheer physical endurance and innocence. Brainwashing or labor, either was an attractive choice. Simon Mikazuchi, sibling to Kagura, would also be good. Really, there was a ton of potential in this little hovel. The Cult might even take a few adults this time, eh?

Forty soldiers at the ready, and twelve more if you counted the Sweeper team. The importance of which was doubted by many, but not protested at all. It was just a precaution, really, to be used in case the target survived this assault against all odds. Whatever, they may or may not see any use whatsoever, so they'd see in awhile.

For now, of course, there were weapons to clean and areas to scout. A slaughter was going to happen very shortly, and the victim wouldn't be cattle. It was a cocky thing to say, sure, especially after Spider said the same thing, but there was no way in hell they'd fail. Forty over-zealous troopers and one tiny hovel. The victor of this little fight would obviously be them.

This went double when they considered that Ichigo was too soft to actually kill anyone. Just as well, too, because if they got out of this with no deaths, The Cult would inevitably reward them.

"Hey, commander, when're we goin' in?" A soldier, just a useless grunt, asked.

"As soon as possible. Scout out any points of entry and wait until the boy goes on patrol. We'll corner him and kill him alone, separated from the villagers. We'll move in afterward and take prisoners, understood?"

"Yes sir."

Yes indeed. This would by a cinch, and just another string of kills to his name. Good, too, because he was getting bored. Commanding a platoon wasn't always fun.

"And sir?"

"Yes?"

"What's in the boxes over there?" The grunt pointed to a pile of crates that had been hand-carried here ever since they left. The soldiers had been told not to look, and it seemed that now was a good a time as any to ask.

"Guns. Lots and lots of guns." The commander threw back his hood, revealing a rather old-looking face, complete with hard-set features and numerous wrinkles. The black lipstick and ridiculous mustache clashed with that image, resulting in a face that many would sneer at.

Jose Porla was the current commander of the Zeref Cult's 22nd division. Sadism and ruthlessness flowed in his blood, and he was a natural choice. Funny, too, because he also ran a little guild on the side. Maybe, one day, he'd tell his Phantom Lord comrades about this day.

And what a fun day that would be, regaling his comrades with tales of murder. But even funner, was the act of murder itself.

Jose reached in and pulled out a rifle. Show time.

* * *

><p><strong>AN**

**So yeah, Jose is here. Mostly because I needed a face to give to that particular character, and I didn't want to pull another undeveloped OC out of my ass. Don't get too angry at me, eh?**

**Was this chapter as cringe-worthy as I thought it was? Your comments are helpful, but for now, let's look at previous comments, eh?**

* * *

><p><strong>Guest- <strong>Uh huh, age discrepancy. Explained in Chapter four, and yeah, it was all my fault. Sorry. (Jeez, I've been apologizing way too much recently...)

**Girl Fish-** Hmm, you seem to have an unusual interest in human trafficking... No, I don't think I'll deal with slavers anytime soon, or at all, really. Bora the Prominent was such an... insignificant character that it would probably be dumb to give him so much as a scene in an AU. He's just not important, even if he was the character that made the meeting between Lucy and Natsu possible.

No, they can't hear them. Although they might hear Ichigo talking to them, that's possible.

Uh huh. A common thing in Shonen anime and manga is to make the protagonist super-strong and have the supporting characters pale in comparison. I hope to equalize it a little bit, make Ichigo a cut above everyone else, but still not noticeably more powerful than anyone else. I guess that 'cut' would be his battle experience, eh?

Gray is still a kid at this point, so, maybe in three or four chapters. Or whenever Ichigo gets to the Fairy Tail guild hall, which, at the rate I'm going, is probably never gonna happen. I'm joking!... maybe.

Again, I have nothing for ya. He knows Macao, but he's really the only guy with the right age to appear in this story as of now. We'll see in a few chapters then.

Uh, dunno. Got no answers for that one, honestly.

**Reader27-** Glad you like it. I get tons of flak for this story, from tons of people too, and I think I understand their points. After all, neutering a character is a rather controversial move, don't you think? But yeah, I don't think the summary is all that misleading unless you read it for what it is. There are certain hidden meanings in there, I like to think. Whatever, though, people think what they think and I'll leave it at that.

**Guy345- **Oh, you think _that_ was gory? You should read my other Bleach thing, then. I mean, there was one scene where an antagonist got disemboweled. For me, getting shot through the knee and stabbed in the gut is _nothing._ If you haven't noticed, I'm just a bit sadistic.

Uh huh, never been called bro before. It's not too popular a thing in my school, I guess... I don't really socialize too much outside of there. Perks of being an introvert, I guess.


	8. (Another) Grim Farewell

This is getting old.

I'm sick of writing these goddamn things _all the time._ I wrote one for my other story and now I'm writing one for this story as well. To put it simply, this thing is on hiatus. It's not abandoned as of now, but it _is_ going to be left untouched for awhile. I may restart my efforts towards that previously mentioned story- Quincy's Pride, a Bleach fic- or I might start working on a brand-spanking new one.

But to be honest, I think I'll take a break.

I like writing. It's a fun little hobby and a great way to pass the time, and sometimes, it lets me get out that extra bit of sadism festering within my mind. Except, I'm very noncommittal. When I start something, I have trouble getting it done without some form of _worthwhile_ incentive. Yes, the praise/hatred/concrit that you guys give me is useful, but I'm a material person. I prefer my rewards to be more tangible.

In other words, I'm a greedy mother-trucker.

But in any case, there are other reasons why I'm putting this one on hold, other than loss of steam. The story itself is very... contradictory to Fairy Tail's spirit. That show is lighthearted, funny, and filled with fanservice and fun times. Me, I'm none of those things. Bleach is a bit less so, and while it could never be as dark as say, Higurashi, it's still not quite as light as Fairy Tail.

As I'm trying to say in what could be the most roundabout way ever, this story does not match the tone of the canon I'm setting it in. As an AU, I can get away with plot discrepancies, but as a Fairy Tail fanfic, I can't exactly write a part where the protagonist's knee gets blown off, and still call it, well, a Fairy Tail fanfic. It just doesn't work that way.

In addition, I've moved this plot along _way_ too slow. As some of my more veteran readers may know, Quincy's Pride had a plot that moved at breakneck speeds, with little to no filler. This story, however, is much slower. While I like both my stories, I do think that QP is more interesting. Granted, it's not as well-written or plotted, but it has a significantly more interesting story.

And at the end of the day, isn't that what matters in _any_ narrative? The story?

Well, that's really all I have to say. What started as a simple goodbye letter turned into a brief examination of this fic's flaws. In short, I'm gonna be gone for awhile. Maybe I'll get started on the next chapter for that other fic, maybe I'll start a new XCOM (That's a strategy game about aliens. Really fun stuff, with tons of story-AU potential) fic, or maybe I'll start a new Bleach fic. I have drafts started for all three.

But no matter what I do, I'm going to take a break. About, eh, two weeks long. If I haven't posted anything after that period, then I've either decided to throw in the towel, or I've simply been slow in starting. In either case, it's not looking well.

I started fanfiction not as a way to tell stories, but as a way to _practice_. Along the way, I've met some truly wonderful people over the web, see Opin88, the author I'm currently Beta-ing, and I've had some really nice praise and advice given to me, see Writophrenic, my most prominent reviewer for Quincy's Pride. So thanks, thanks for supporting me, for helping me, and above all, for reading.

You guys rock. I'll see ya later.


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